KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday rejected a petition seeking to permanently include the name of former military ruler Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf in the Exit Control List (ECL) and reserved its verdict on another request which had sought the removal of his name from the list, DawnNews reported.

The ruling for the verdict by the two-member bench of the SHC would be announced on December 23, a day before the former military strongman is to appear in the apex court over proceedings of the high treason case faced by him under Article 6 of the Constitution.

Counsel for the former president, A.Q. Halepoto, had requested the court to remove Musharraf's name from the ECL pleading that his client needed to go abroad to visit his ailing mother.

The government had included Musharraf's name in the ECL keeping in view earlier directives if the SHC, according to Advocate Halepoto.

Justice Sajjad Ali Shah of the SHC's division bench, giving his remarks said that the SHC had not issued any orders regarding the inclusion of Musharraf's name in the ECL and told Musharraf's counsel to contact the government if he wished to get the former military dictator's name struck off the list.

Musharraf was granted bail in all cases against him since his return to Pakistan. The cases include the Benazir Bhutto assassination case, the killing of Baloch nationalist leader Nawab Akbar Bugti, and the case relating to the murder of the Lal Masjid cleric.

Moreover, a special court, formed by Pakistan government to try former military ruler General (retd) Pervez Musharraf in a high treason case under Article 6 of the Constitution, has also summoned him to appear before it on December 24.