The Exit Control Lists (ECL; ur, ) is a system of

border control Border control refers to measures taken by governments to monitor and regulate the movement of people, animals, and goods across land, air, and maritime borders. While border control is typically associated with international borders, it a ...

maintained by the

Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=hakúmat-e pákistán) abbreviated as GoP, is a federal government established by the Constitution of Pakistan as a constituted governing authority of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provin ...

under Exit from Pakistan (Control) Ordinance, 1981. The people on the list are prohibited from leaving

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

Priorities

1. Exit from Pakistan (Control) Ordinance, 1981, empowers the Federal Government to prohibit any person from proceeding abroad. Ordinarily, the following categories of persons are placed on ECL:- *(a) Persons involved in mass corruption and misuse of power/authority causing loss to the government funds/property. *(b) Government employees involved in economic crime where large government funds have been embezzled or institutional frauds committed. *(c) Hardened criminals involved in acts of terrorism and conspiracy. *(d) Key directors of firms having tax default / liabilities of Rs. 10 million or more. *(e) Only 2 -3 key directors of firms having more than Rs. 100 million loan default / liabilities. *(f) Names of persons if recommended by the Registrar,

High Courts of Pakistan There are five high courts of Pakistan, each based in the capital city of the four provinces, plus one in the federal capital, Islamabad. Articles 192 to 203 of the Constitution of Pakistan outline the constitution of the courts, appointment of th ...

Supreme Court of Pakistan The Supreme Court of Pakistan ( ur, ; ''Adālat-e-Uzma Pākistān'') is the apex court in the judicial hierarchy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Established in accordance to thePart VIIof the Constitution of Pakistan, it has ultimate a ...

and

Banking Court A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Becaus ...

s only. *(g) Drug traffickers. 2. The on-line system is operational at the ministry linked with international airports at Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Islamabad and Faisalabad. 3. Any person aggrieved by the order of the federal government regarding placement of his or her name on the ECL, can under the law, file a review petition giving justifications for review and also can seek a personal hearing with the competent authority. 4. The ECL is reviewed periodically to assess the need for further retention of a person on the ECL. Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) was responsible for control of the Exit Control List but now this responsibility has been shifted to the Ministry of Interior and thus avoiding the previously experienced complications in this regard.

Controversies

In 2018, the government and

Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (; TLP) is a far-right Islamic extremist political party in Pakistan. The party was founded by Khadim Hussain Rizvi in August 2015. It became the fifth largest party at the 2018 Pakistani general election, but fa ...

(TLP) reached an agreement after which the latter ended its three-day-long nationwide protests against the

's acquittal of Asia Bibi who had been sentenced to death in 2010 for blasphemy. One of the points both parties agreed on was that the government would "initiate the legal process" to place Asia Bibi's name on the Exit Control List. After Asia Bibi's acquittal on October 31, the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) ordered their followers to protest and begin sit-ins across the country. The protests turned violent and saw destruction and vandalism of private property. However, the government stated that unless a person is declared a criminal, or there is another legal basis for action, the question of placing an individual's name on the ECL would not arise.

References

Human rights abuses in Pakistan Law of Pakistan 1981 in law Pakistan federal departments and agencies {{pakistan-law-stub