During the meeting of the federal cabinet regarding the decision to remove Nawaz's name for the Exit Control List (ECL), majority of the cabinet members opposed that former prime minster Nawaz Sharif should be allowed to travel abroad for medical treatment.
According to a report in Express Tribune, during the meeting of the prime minister’s cabinet on Tuesday, the majority of the members were in opposition to allowing Nawaz Sharif to fly abroad without imposing any conditions on him. These members were of the view that such a measure would be a ‘complete defeat of the government’s accountability narrative’.
On the other hand, members belonging to the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) were in support of Nawaz’s departure.
Following its meeting, the cabinet decided to grant Nawaz Sharif conditional permission to travel abroad.
The proposed three conditions say that the former PM must submit surety bonds, he should approach the court to obtain a no-objection certificate to go abroad, and that the Sharif family should give assurances that Nawaz would return to the country after his treatment.
A cabinet member belonging to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf revealed that Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid was opposed to giving former PM Nawaz Sharif unconditional permission to go abroad.
Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Zaidi was asked by journalist Shahzeb Khanzada if the condition of submitting surety bonds was put forth to placate voters, and replied that if they actually made the decision by factoring in what Khanzada had said, there was not any issue with it.
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Social media has been rife with speculations that prominent members who opposed the removal of Nawaz's name from the ECL included Ali Zaidi and Shireen Mazari.
Analysts have questioned why the cabinet gave the approval to Nawaz Sharif to travel abroad. They believe that once the security establishment had decided to permit Nawaz to travel to the United Kingdom for medical treatment, it was not likely that the cabinet would oppose the step.