KARACHI, July 15: The Sindh High Court on Friday, allowing a petition filed by Balochistan National Party leader, Mohammad Akhtar Mengal, against ban on his travel abroad, ordered the interior ministry to delete his name from the ECL. The petitioner, an ex-chief minister of Balochistan, said he was denied a visit abroad as his name was placed on the ECL by FIA.

The BNP leader, who is also critical to government’s polices, said there was no ground to restrain him from travelling abroad and deprive him of a journey relating to business and health.

His counsel Raja Qureshi and Syed Ghulam Shah sought deletion of his name from the ECL.

Federal law officer Tariq Ali told the court that the interior ministry had placed the name of the petitioner in the ECL on the recommendations of the NAB and produced a copy of the letter.

The court expressed annoyance that there were no any reference or case mentioned in the letter on which the petitioner be restrained from travelling abroad besides no comments have been filed by the respondents.

SHC’s division bench, comprising Chief Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed and Justice Zia Pervaiz, observed that no citizen could be restrained from moving freely without any specific reason and allowed the petition. It also ordered the respondents to remove the name of the petitioner from the ECL and issue him a passport.

—PPI