ISLAMABAD: Former military ruler Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf was denied permission to travel to Saudi Arabia to condole over the death of King Abdullah, DawnNews reported.

Sources at the Interior Ministry said that the former president had made a request to travel to Saudi Arabia to offer condolences over the monarch’s death.

Musharraf, in his request, stated that King Abdullah had been like a brother to him which was why he wanted to travel to the kingdom, the sources said.

However Musharraf’s request was rejected by the Interior Ministry due to his name being included in the Exit Control List (ECL), which bars people from leaving the country.

The ministry stated that the former president had been put on the ECL after a court decision, and that he should refer to the judiciary regarding his request to leave the country.

Earlier reports suggested that the government had in principle agreed to allow the former president to leave the country.

Read also: Govt may let Musharraf fly to S. Arabia

Musharraf had sought a relaxation of the travel ban placed on him so that he could fly to meet members of the Saudi royal family.

A source had said that Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan was among the few members of the cabinet who had been trying to persuade the PML-N leadership to soften its stance on Musharraf, particularly when the PTI’s sit-in was ongoing and there were rumours of a military takeover.

Musharraf’s name was added to the ECL due to multiple high-profile cases pending against him, including high treason and murder.