ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court asked the government on Thursday to submit a written assurance that the name of nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan had not been placed on the exit control list (ECL).

A two-member bench comprising Justice Chaudhry Ijaz Ahmed and Justice Rahmat Hussain Jafferi had taken up an application on a suo motu notice about putting the name of Dr Khan on the ECL.

Acting Attorney General Shah Khawar denied that Dr Khans name had been placed on the ECL.

But when the court asked whether the acting attorney general was stating this on record, Mr Khawar stated that the information had been provided to him by the interior ministry on phone and that the ministry had not provided him anything in writing.

Even the copy of the application on which the case had been taken up by the bench was not with him and he had only appeared after having come to know that the case was fixed before the bench, Mr Khawar said.

The bench adjourned the proceedings for Nov 12 with a direction to the acting attorney general to submit a written assurance in this regard.

Dr Khan, it may be mentioned, recently told a private television channel that he was not a free man and that his passport taken away about two years ago had not been returned.