Interior ministry put on notice over ECL

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday put on notice the Ministry of Interior in a writ petition filed against placing the name of a senior official of an intelligence agency on the Exit Control List (ECL).

A two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Justice Irshad Qaiser issued the notice to Ministry of Interior to explain as to why the name of joint director of the Intelligence Bureau was placed on the ECL.

Barrister Mudassir Ameer, counsel for Dr Muhammad Suleman Khan, Joint Director of the IB, submitted before the court that his client was a grade-20 officer in Police Services of Pakistan. He said that the NAB had included the names of six serving and retired officers, including the petitioner, in the multi-billion weapons purchase scam reference.

The lawyer said the petitioner promotion and matters pertaining to his service had been delayed as the case is still pending in the accountability court.  He said placing the name of the petitioner on the ECL was illegal and against the law after the trial court, PHC and Supreme Court dismissed the NAB’s petitions, seeking direction from the courts to ask the accountability court to summon the six police officers in the court in the case.