KARACHI, Aug 4: Former navy chief Mansoorul Haq’s petition against inclusion of his name in the exit control list was allowed by a Sindh High Court division bench on Thursday.

The petitioner said he returned from the US to face charges against him and paid a hefty amount after entering plea bargain with the National Accountability Bureau. The bureau, however, instituted another reference and he was tried and convicted for allegedly causing a huge loss to the public exchequer by purchasing three defective ships for the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation as its chairman. He was acquitted by an SHC division bench in appeal.

Advocate Azizullah K. Shaikh, assisted by Advocate Shaista Shamim, submitted that co-accused Ashfaq Baig, who was also acquitted by the SHC in the second reference against Mr Haq, had already been allowed to go abroad. The petitioner’s son and daughters were all settled abroad and it would be highly unjust if he was prevented from leaving Pakistan. The NAB had challenged the SHC acquittal order in the Supreme Court but no proceeding had been held despite lapse of over an year.

Federal government counsel submitted that a notice in the petition should be sent to the bureau as its plea for leave to appeal against the petitioner’s acquittal was pending before the Supreme Court.

The division bench, which consisted of Chief Justice Sabihuddin Ahmed and Justice Zia Pervez, observed that the bureau had not sought suspension of the SHC acquittal order while moving its appeal in the Supreme Court, which had already allowed a co-accused to travel abroad. Accordingly, the petition was allowed.