ISLAMABAD, March 1: Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Mohammad Anwar Kasi on Friday dismissed the application of businessman and member of Karachi Stock Exchange Aqeel Karim Dhedy for removal of his and other businessmen’s names from the exit control list (ECL).

Mr Dhedy, KSE Managing Director Nadeem Naqvi, Syed Nadir Shah, Major (retd) Kamil and Kashif Shameem filed the application after the interior ministry put their names on the ECL.

Counsel for the applicants, Ali Raza, pleaded before the court that his clients had to travel abroad of and on for their business activities and a ban on their movement was against their fundamental rights. He requested the court to issue order for the removal of their names from the ECL.

Qaiser Mehmood, a deputy director of Federal Investigation Agency, informed the court that the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority had declared the applicants bankrupt due to non-payment of bills of billions of rupees by them.

He said the PTA had requested the interior ministry to proceed against the applicants and put their names on the ECL. On Sept 28, 2007, the authority issued a licence to DV Communication for providing telecom services in different sectors. The licence was issued on a back dates — Nov 4, 2004. The PTA had asked the DV Communication to pay Rs1.648 billion of dues that it had not paid.

The FIA deputy directory further informed the court that on Dec 27, 2011, the PTA under section 5-R of the NAB ordinance while declaring DV Communication and few other telecom sector companies bankrupts had requested the interior ministry to take action against them.

On Jan 23 this year the interior ministry put the names of six people, including the MD of DV communication, on the ECL.

Deputy Attorney General Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri informed the court that the petitioners were bankrupts of billions of rupees and the government was proceeding against them under the law.