Notices issued on petition seeking ex-PM Sharif on ECL

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Tuesday issued notices to interior ministry and other official respondents on a petition seeking to put the name of disqualified prime minister Nawaz Sharif on the Exit Control List (ECL), ARY News reported.

Petitioner Javed Iqbal Jafferi contended that Nawaz Sharif and his children were not appearing before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to record their statements with regard to their properties in defiance of the Supreme Court judgment. Thus, Sharif might flee the country to avoid his possible arrest at the hands of NAB authorities, he apprehended.

He, therefore, pleaded with the court to restrain the former prime minister from leaving the country until the NAB cases against him are decided. The court was further requested to direct the interior ministry to place his name on the ECL.

After hearing initial arguments, Justice Mamoon Rasheed Sheikh issued notices to the official respondents to file their response to the petition by Aug 25.

Earlier, a civil rights campaigner had also filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking its directives for authorities to put the names of Nawaz Sharif, his children and son-in-law on the ECL.

Petitioner Mahmood Akhtar Naqvi requested the court to order the interior ministry to put the names of Sharif, his sons – Hussain and Hassan – daughter Maryam Nawaz and his son-in-law retired Captain Muhammad Safdar on the ECL.

In his petition, Naqvi submitted that the Supreme Court had earlier on July 28 disqualified Nawaz Sharif and ordered filing of corruption references against him and his children. In compliance with the court’s judgment, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is going to file four references against them, he added.

He said that there was an apprehension that the former prime minister and his children will flee the country to avoid their possible punishment on corruption charges.