NUZHAT NAZAR

ISLAMABAD: Federal Interior Minister Brig Ijaz Shah (retd) has disclosed that the name of ailing ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif is not on the Exit Control List (ECL).

Federal Interior Minister Brig Ijaz Shah (retd) said this while addressing a joint press conference with Special Assistant to the PM on Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan here on Thursday.

During a question-answer session after the press conference, Shah said, “I checked the record and we did not put him [Nawaz Sharif] on ECL.” He said, “May Allah shower his blessing upon everyone as one can fight to a live person and not with a dead body.”

Shah said the government will fully facilitate the protest march of JUI (F) and will not create any hurdles in its way. He pointed out that Maulana Fazlur Rehman kicked off his march on 27th of October. He said on the instructions of the Prime Minister, the protestors from the four provinces have fully been facilitated. “We provided them water, electricity and a traffic plan on their way to Islamabad, so that they may reach the federal capital without any untoward incident.”

Shah said the protesters coming from Punjab and Sindh will enter Islamabad from Rawat T-Chowk. They have been given the route of Faizabad and 9th Avenue to reach their designated place of protest at H-9. The container of Maulana Fazlur Rehman will be given a separate route so that he could comfortably reach the protest venue.

The interior minister vowed to provide full security to protestors.

He said the protest venue at H-9 has been cleared of all the shrubs and bushes, and water and electricity have been provided there. Places of toilets and hotels have also been marked there.