IHC reserves verdict on Zulfi Bukhari's petition to have his name removed from ECL

Published December 4, 2018
IHC reserves verdict on Zulfi Bukhari's petition to remove his name from ECL. — File photo
IHC reserves verdict on Zulfi Bukhari's petition to remove his name from ECL. — File photo

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday reserved its verdict on special assistant to the prime minister on overseas Pakistanis Zulfi Bukhari's petition seeking removal of his name from the Exit Control List (ECL).

A division bench of the IHC comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani had taken up a petition filed by Bukhari seeking removal of his name from the ECL.

On Monday, the bench had directed the National Accounta­bility Bureau (NAB) to submit a list of documents required from Bukhari, aka Zulfi Bukhari, to complete the probe into his alleged illegal assets case — an order the bureau obliged to in the hearing today.

"Looks like Zulfi Bukhari did not give you any information," Justice Farooq said, to which the NAB investigator replied: "Yes we did not get any information."

The court also questioned why the NAB had allowed Bukhari to go abroad. "By giving Zulfi Bukhari permission to go overseas once, they opposed their own stand." Justice Farooq observed.

A representative of the interior ministry apprised the court that a summary has been sent to the federal cabinet regarding NAB's recommendation to give Bukhari permission to travel abroad once.

At this, Justice Kayani remarked that NAB does not want to keep Bukhari's name on the ECL.

"It is not like that; we have only recommended removing [his] name once," NAB special prosecutor Imran Shafiq claimed.

Following the conclusion of the arguments, the court reserved its verdict.

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