ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal on Tuesday requested the Accountability Court to place the name of chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB) former Justice Javed Iqbal on the exit control list (ECL) as he is planning to flee the country.

Talking to reporters, after appearing before Accountability Court in Narowal Sport City Complex Project (NSCCP) case, he said he had demanded in the court to place name of the NAB chairman on the ECL as according to him, he was planning to flee the country.

He said he would fill an application before the court during the next hearing for putting the names of the chairman and the director general (DG) NAB on the ECL. Iqbal alleged that the government was working on anti-China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) plan.

“Not a single project of CPEC was launched in the last three years by the present government,” he said, adding that despite the fact Gwadar was the gateway of the CPEC but the incumbent government consciously created unrest in Gwadar.

He said Rs40 billion’s corruption had surfaced in Covid-19 relief package after the government released audit report following the International Monetary Fund (IMP) pressure.

Under Covid-19 relief package substandard goods were sold through the Utility Stores Corporation (USC), he said.

About the IMF package, he said it was an instrument of surrender of financial autonomy. “Now the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) will be accountable to the IMF instead of the parliament,” he said, adding that sovereignty had been surrendered for obtaining loan from brethren countries of Pakistan. He further said the report of foreign funding case had been sent by the committee to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP); therefore, he demands from the ECP to decide foreign funding case on an immediate basis.

To a question about the PML-N vice president, Maryam Nawaz’s audio leak, he said there was no comparison between alleged audio clip of former chief justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar and Maryam’s audio clip about advertisements.

When he was asked that why the PML-N is hesitant to produce former chief justice’s audio clip in the court, he said PML-N would produce the audio tape in the court, if it had been released by the PML-N. The audio tape was released by a third party after auditing it from an American-based firm, he said. Earlier, he appeared before Accountability Court-III judge Syed Ashgar Ali in the NSCCP case. During the hearing, Iqbal came to the rostrum and said he wanted to make some submission before the court.

The judge told him that ‘make request through your counsel.’

Iqbal said the NAB was being used only for character assassination. On this, the judge told him ‘do not make such kind of statement in the court.’ ‘Put the name of the chairman NAB on the ECL as he wants to flee the country,’ Iqbal further said. The court adjourned hearing of the case till December 21 due to absence of Iqbal’s counsel.—FAZAL SHER