PHC orders name of citizen removed from ECL

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Thursday directed the Ministry of Interior to remove the name of a citizen from the Exit Control List (ECL).
A two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Justice Qalandar Ali Khan issued direction to the Ministry of Interior to remove the name of the citizen from the ECL forthwith.
The bench issued the direction in a writ petition of a citizen from Mardan district, Muhammad Amaad, seeking removal of his name from the ECL. During hearing of the case, the petitioner’s lawyer Daris Khan submitted before the bench that some years ago the security forces had picked up the petitioner for interrogation and then released after declaring him clear and innocent.
The law officer submitted before the bench that the Ministry of Interior had received information from the secret agency about the petitioner’s involvement in the anti-state activities and on the basis of that report he was put on the ECL.
However, the law officer failed to prove the involvement of the citizen in the anti-state activities. After hearing arguments from both the sides, the bench allowed the petition and directed the ministry to remove the name of the petitioner from the ECL.
Separately, another PHC bench comprising Justice Nisar Hussain Khan and Justice Muhammad Ghazanfar Khan sought reply from the provincial government about shifting of Benevolent Fund Public School and College from the Kohat Road.
The bench issued direction to the secretary Benevolent Fund, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to submit reply in the court in the writ petition filed against shifting of the school and college. A female teacher of the school and college, Almas, had challenged the shifting of the school and college.