PM suspends secretary of interior

[DarkStar]

PM suspends secretary of interior

Friday, 18 Dec, 2009


The prime minister made the suspensions after Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar was stopped from leaving for China on Thursday night. -File Photo

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has suspended the secretary ministry of interior along with additional DG FIA immigration and two FIA inpectors for barring Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar from leaving for China last night.

The prime minister took the decsion after a meeting with President Asif Zardari.

Later a notification was issued about the suspension of these officials and an inquiry was ordered into the incident.

Both the president and the prime minister took serious notice of the incident when at Benazir Bhutto Airport FIA staff told the officials of Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar that his name is on the Exit Control List and he cannot leave for China.

Credible sources told DawnNews that it was also decided that no sitting minister would resign on the prevailing situation. A minister who suggested resignations was snubbed by the top leadership.

It was decided that a formal strategy would be adopted on Saturday in a CEC meeting of the PPP with President Zardari in the Chair. -DawnNews

DAWN.COM | Pakistan | PM suspends secretary of interior

[DarkStar]

NAB apologises to defence minister for airport incident

Friday, 18 Dec, 2009


Ahmed Mukhtar reacted strongly to being stopped from going abroad – in his capacity as a sitting defence minister – to discuss important official business and urged the president and the PM to take strict action against the responsible officials. - File photo

ISLAMABAD: Chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Naveed Ahsan Friday telephoned Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar and apologised over the embarrassment caused to the minister.

In a press release, NAB also clarified that the name of Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar was not included in the Exit Control List (ECL) of 53 persons.

Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar Friday told a private TV news channel that the NAB chairman also categorically denied putting the name of the minister on the ECL; saying that the ECL from Oct 5, 2007 consisting of 53 persons (excluding the name of Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar) had been handed over to the relevant authorities and no new name had been added to the old list.

The minister urged the president and the prime minister to conduct an inquiry to pinpoint and punish the officials responsible for the embarrassment caused to him.

‘It is not a petty matter as a defence minister, and not Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, was barred from travelling abroad,’ he said.

He said that a number of officials, including those from China, contacted him and conveyed their profound anguish over Thursday’s episode because a sitting minister (Mukhtar) was stopped from going abroad to discuss important official business.

‘I had never benefited from the controversial National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO),’ the minister said.—APP

DAWN.COM | Pakistan | NAB apologises to defence minister for airport incident

[ajpirzada]

makes sense given his name wasnt on ECL.