LAHORE, April 2: The Lahore High Court on Friday issued a notice to the interior ministry to explain bar on Hamza Shahbaz, the son of former Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif, from proceeding abroad by placing his name on the ECL.

Justice Syed Tasadduq Husain Jillani directed Deputy Attorney-General Nawaz Bhatti to submit a report on behlaf of the interior ministry on April 18.

The notice was served on the state in the process of a constitutional writ petition submitted by Hamza through advocate Muhammad Ahmad Quyyum, who stated that there was no legal reason for disallowing him to go abroad.

The petitioner submitted that he was the director and representative of three industrial units - the Mehran Ramzan Textile Mills, the Ramzan Sugar Mills and the Chaudhry Sugar Mills.

The Mehran Ramzan Textile Mills was an export-oriented industrial unit running on the basis of imports from Hong Kong, China, Japan, the USA and some European countries. Since he was not allowed to go abroad, his manufacturing business was suffering.

Hamza also submitted that he was facing no cases nor was any NAB reference pending against him. He submitted that he was a co-accused in the NAB reference in the Hudaibiya Paper Mills, but the banking court had absolved him of all charges in the reference.

Another reference against him had also been shelved and no proceedings were taking place for long. He said his name was put on the ECL in 1999 and his attempts to get his passport renewed also failed because of the instructions issued by the interior ministry.

Hamza submitted that his mother, Nusrat Shahbaz, was unwell and since the family could not come to Pakistan, he wanted to see his ailing mother.