KARACHI, Dec 15: A division bench of the Sindh High Court expressed its surprise on Wednesday over the imposition of travel curbs on a key provincial government adviser by intelligence agencies without specifying the allegations against him.

A writ petition moved by the Sindh chief minister's adviser on local government against inclusion of his name in the exit control list came up before a division bench, comprising Chief Justice Saiyed Saeed Ashhad and Justice Maqbool Baqar.

According to the comments submitted by Deputy Attorney-General Nadeem Azhar Siddiqui earlier on behalf of the federal interior ministry, petitioner Waseem Akhtar was put on the ECL on the advice of the Military Intelligence, the Inter-Services Intelligence and the National Accountability Bureau.

The ministry gave no details of the allegations against Mr Akhtar. Appearing for the petitioner, Advocate Rizwan H. Nadeem submitted that a citizen's movement could not be restricted on a vague and bland assertion made by intelligence agencies.

A mere unsubstantiated advice could not be pressed into service to deprive a person of his fundamental right. The petition, he said, was filed last year but the ministry had failed to come up with any specific charge against the adviser.

The bench observed that it was surprised how an important functionary, like the chief minister's adviser holding the rank of provincial minister, could be treated so casually.

Appearing for the federal government, Deputy Attorney-General Sajjad Ali Shah submitted that the comments were not filed through him and it would take him some time to find out from the respondents the real position.

According to the petitioner, he returned to Pakistan from London to start a small business. He had since been abroad with permission and had returned home within the stipulated time.

He was yet to know why his name was initially placed and still stayed on the ECL. The bench gave the DAG four weeks to ascertain the factual position and adjourned further hearing. The petition would again come up after four weeks.

NOTICE ISSUED: A special banking judge was on Wednesday issued notice by the high court in an appeal assailing his order to modify a decree and drastically reduce a debtor's liability in execution proceedings.