LAHORE: The former chairman of Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) and PPP leader, Asif Hashmi, has written to the interior minister, requesting him to remove his name from the Exit Control List (ECL) as the government has no legal grounds to put him on it.

In a letter to Interior Minister retired Brig Ejaz Shah, Mr Hashmi said his name was placed on the ECL by the previous PML-N government on mere allegations and without any orders from a court of law.

“A political rival after assuming the charge of ETPB head launched a systematic campaign against me that led to placing my name on ECL a few years ago,” Mr Hashmi said and added that he returned to the country on assurance of the former chief justice of Pakistan that he would get justice in the cases against him a couple of years ago. Mr Hashmi has been on bail in the illegal appointments case and other such cases.

The PPP leader further said when his passport expired while being in Dubai he had applied for its renewal in Pakistan Consulate (in Dubai) but he was told that his CNIC was blocked as his name was on the ECL.

“For renewal of my passport and unblocking of my CNIC, I had requested through my legal counsel to almost all the authorities,” Mr Hashmi said, adding now he had secured bail in all the cases registered against him from the Supreme Court, Lahore High Court, Islamabad High Court and from the special courts of FIA Lahore and Karachi and his name should be removed from the ECL and his CNIC should be unblocked so that he could get his passport renewed.

“I want to go to Saudi Arabia perform Umrah,” he added.

Talking to Dawn on Sunday, Mr Hashmi said the PTI government had allowed its leader Aleem Khan to go abroad and MPA Sabtain Khan to assume the charge of ministry despite being on bail in the NAB cases.

“There should not be a double standard in my case,” he demanded.

Published in Dawn, January 20th, 2020