SHC sets aside travel ban on Ayyan Ali

KARACHI: The Sindh High  Court’s (SHC) referee judge,  Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto,  on Thursday set aside the  memorandum of Federal Ministry  of Interior that restricted  the travelling of fashion  model Ayyan Ali abroad and  directed the ministry to remove  her name from the Exit  Control List.  The court, however, suspended  the operation of the  SHC order on the request of  the ministry for 10 days so  that it could approach the  Supreme Court against the decision.  The matter regarding the  removal of Ayyan Ali’s name  from the ECL was sent to the  referee judge by the SHC  chief justice following a split  judgment by the division  bench of the SHC. In its spilt  verdict, the division bench’s  senior member, Justice  Ahmed Ali M Sheikh, had dismissed  the petition on the  grounds that it was not maintainable  due to jurisdiction.  However, the other bench  member, Justice Karim Khan  Agha, had allowed the model’s  request and directed the ministry  to remove her name  from the ECL.  Ayyan, now out on bail, is  facing a trial for trying to  smuggle $506,800 after being  caught in the act at the Islamabad  airport on March 14 last  year. According to the prosecution,  Ayyan tried to smuggle  an undeclared US$506,800  from Pakistan to Dubai. She  had challenged the third  memorandum by the interior  ministry to place her name on  the ECL since her arrest, despite  the SHC suspending the  ministry’s memorandums  twice.  Additional Attorney General  Salman Talibuddin defended  the ministry's decision,  saying that Ayyan was  stopped at the airport because  her name was on the  ECL following a recommendation  by the Punjab government  in connection with the  murder case of Customs officer  Ejaz.