Interior ministry, FIA put on notice as PTI leader challenges name on ECL

The Sindh High Court (SHC) issued notices to the ministry of interior, the Federal Investigation Agency and others on a petition of a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader against the placement of his name on the Exit Control List (ECL).

Petitioner Khurrum Sher Zaman submitted that he was elected twice as MPA of the Sindh Assembly and recently contested the general election for the National Assembly constituency NA-241 Karachi.

He submitted that he wanted to perform Umrah and approached the passport authorities for renewal of his passport; however, he came to know that his name had been placed on the Exit Control List. He said that he had been implicated in five criminal cases as part of political victimisation but was granted bail in all cases. He submitted that the restriction on his travelling abroad was unlawful and no right of hearing had been given to him by the competent authority prior to placing his name on the no-fly list.

The court was requested to set aside the travel restriction against the petitioner and allow him to travel aboard for performing Umrah.

A high court division bench headed by Chief Justice Mohammad Shafi Siddiqui, after the preliminary hearing of the petition, issued notices to the ministry of interior and others and called their comments on the next date of the hearing.

The bench also directed the federal law officer to file comments on a petition against the placement of the name of a woman on the ECL.

Petitioner Kiran Riaz submitted that she amd others were booked by the National Accountability Bureau in connection with a reference pertaining to causing a financial loss to the Pakistan International Airlines of Rs127.845 million. NAB alleged that the petitioners and other directors of cargo companies failed to fulfil outstanding liabilities to the PIA in respect of cargo handling contracts and caused a loss to the PIA in 2002.

The petitioner’s counsel submitted that she was offloaded from a flight when she was proceedings to Saudi Arabia for performing Umrah without assigning any reason and despite the fact that she was on bail in the instant case. The counsel also questioned the jurisdiction of NAB to probe the financial matter and requested the court to direct the ministry of interior

to remove the name of the petitioner from the ECL.