LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Tuesday allowed a petition of PTI leader Farrukh Habib and ordered the interior ministry to remove his name from the Exit Control List (ECL).

Justice Muhammad Anw­­arul Haq Pannun announced his reserved verdict allowing the petition.

A counsel for Habib, also former state minister, contended that the petitioner wanted to go abroad but the respondents had placed his name on the ECL unlawfully.

He said the respondents’ act was a glare example of political victimisation as the petitioner was not required in any case by the law. He said the petitioner was a law-abiding citizen and a former state minister.

The counsel asked the court to remove the name of the petitioner from the ECL and allow him to visit abroad.

The petition was filed against the interior ministry and the Federal Inves­tigation Agency (FIA).

Published in Dawn, May 17th, 2023

Opinion

Editorial

Green tokenism
Updated 08 Jul, 2025

Green tokenism

Climate decisions must be based on facts, not politics — guided by independent science and open to public scrutiny.
Cotton decline
08 Jul, 2025

Cotton decline

PAKISTAN’S cotton economy is in a crisis. Production has fallen from a peak of 14m bales 10 years ago to 5.5m ...
Pet problems
08 Jul, 2025

Pet problems

PAKISTANIS’ obsession with exotic pets keeps ending in tragedy. Incidents like the recent lion attack in a Lahore...
No preparedness
Updated 06 Jul, 2025

No preparedness

With frequency of calamitous weather events increasing, the country cannot afford to be in denial after every tragedy.
Saarc’s future
Updated 07 Jul, 2025

Saarc’s future

South Asia’s vast potential cannot be held hostage forever by India.
PSB’s waning authority
06 Jul, 2025

PSB’s waning authority

IT has been two decades since the National Sports Policy was introduced but its implementation leaves much to be...