Shehbaz to challenge his name on ECL

LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-N (PMLN) President and Opposition Leader in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif will challenge government’s decision to place his name in the exit control list (ECL) in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) the next week.

On Saturday, he approached the Lahore High Court to withdraw his petitions against the government for placing him on a blacklist and seeking implementation of the court orders that gave him a one-time permission to go abroad for medical treatment.

A civil miscellaneous application, filed by Shehbaz’s counsel Senator Azam Nazir Tarar, contended that the name of the petitioner had been included in the Exit Control List (ECL) through a memorandum, issued on May 17 last. It said that due to the memorandum, the pending petition and an application might not be proceeded in its present form.

The application stated that reserving his right to seek contempt proceedings against those not implementing the orders, Shehbaz intended to challenge the memorandum of putting him on the ECL. It sought permission from the court to withdraw the main petition against being his placing on the blacklist, and a subsequent application for implementation of the order allowing him a visit abroad.

Justice Ali Baqar Najafi would hear the application on Monday. Next hearing of the pending petitions of Shehbaz is fixed for May 26 when the federal government is supposed to file its written reply as directed by the judge.

The PMLN president has decided that the contempt application would not be withdrawn against the authorities responsible for stopping him from flying abroad in the last week of April even after permission granted by the LHC. Shehbaz was stopped by the authorities concerned at Allama Iqbal International Airport Lahore when he reached there to board a Doha-bound flight. He was set to proceed to London from Doha after 15 days quarantine in Qatar capital.

The counsel for Shehbaz told The News on Saturday Justice Ali Baqar Najafi will hear the application pertaining to withdrawal of earlier petitions on Monday. He said withdrawal had been moved for technical reasons, and a decision for challenging the federal government decision to place Shehbaz’s name in the ECL for political reasons has already been made. The mode of challenge would be decided in a couple of days.

The federal government completed the process of placing Shehbaz name in the ECL during the Eid holidays.

APP adds: Advisor to the Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior Barrister Mirza Shahzad Akbar Saturday said Shehbaz Sharif’s withdrawal of the petition showed that he had attempted to flee the country on false pretext.

In a tweet, he said the withdrawal of the petition also proved that the legal arguments presented earlier in the LHC about the blacklist were flawed. He said his offer of providing legal assistance (to Shehbaz) still stands.