Ayyan’s name placed in ECL on Punjab govt’s recommendations, SHC told

KARACHI: The name of fashion model Ayyan Ali was placed on the Exit Control List on the recommendations of the Punjab government, the interior ministry told the Sindh High Court on Friday.

Filing comments on the petition of the fashion model, who challenged the third memorandum of the ministry of interior regarding placement of her name in the Exit Control List, the ministry of interior submitted that Ayyan Ali was stopped from proceeding abroad due to placement of her name on the ECL.  The ministry of interior’s representative submitted that the Punjab government had recommended placement of the model’s name in the ECL in connection with the murder case of a customs investigation officer, Ejaz. 

He submitted that the wife of the murdered customs officer had suspected Ayyan Ali’s involvement in the case as her spouse had been investigating the currency smuggling case against the fashion model.

Ayyan Ali was stopped by the immigration authorities at Karachi airport from boarding a private airplane to travel abroad after removal of her name from the Exit Control List. 

The ministry of interior had earlier deleted the name of Ayyan Ali from the Exit Control List on June 15, and the secretary of the ministry of interior had informed the Sindh High Court that there was no legal impediment to her travelling abroad. The petitioner’s counsel, Qadir Khan Mandokhel, submitted in the petition that the petitioner had once again been restrained from going abroad by the federal investigation authorities despite her name having been deleted from the ECL. He submitted that the officials of the interior ministry, including the secretary of interior, had given an undertaking before the court that there was no legal impediment to her travelling abroad, but they had committed gross violation of the court’s directives. 

He submitted that the third memorandum for placement of the petitioner’s name in the ECL was based on total perversity as she was neither named in the FIR nor the Lahore High Court had issued any direction to place her name in the ECL. 

He submitted that former president General (Retd.) Pervez Musharraf despite registration of criminal cases against him was allowed to travel abroad, but the petitioner was restrained from travelling abroad in violation of court orders. 

The court was requested to declare the third memorandum of the ministry of interior regarding placement of the petitioner’s name in the ECL illegal and direct the ministry of interior to remove her name from the ECL. The SHC’s division bench, headed by Justice Ahmed Ali M Shiekh, adjourned the hearing in the case till August 5 for filing of a rejoinder by the petitioner’s counsel.