ISLAMABAD, May 21: Interior Secretary Syed Kamal Shah on Sunday said the name of Bahria Town Chief Executive Malik Riaz Hussain had been removed from the Exit Control List (ECL) on the recommendation of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

In a statement issued by the interior ministry, the secretary said both the inclusion and exclusion of Malik Riaz’s name was made on NAB’s recommendation.

When contacted, NAB spokesman Brig Nasir expressed ignorance that Malik Riaz’s name was on the ECL. “I am not aware of the issue,” he said.

Repeated attempts were made by Dawn to contact Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao on his mobile telephone but he was not available.

However, an official of the interior ministry told this newspaper that Mr Sherpao was “quite angry” over the publication of an advertisement in the press on Sunday which claimed that the name of Bahria Town chief was removed from the ECL on the directives of the interior minister and that all departments concerned had been intimated about it.

In his recent statements, the housing industry’s tycoon Malik Riaz alleged that instead of appreciating his services, he was being victimised by President Gen Pervez Musharraf’s regime as did by the governments of Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto.