ISLAMABAD – The Islamabad High Court on Monday dismissed a petition seeking to place the names of the Sharif family members on the Exit Control List (ECL) in the wake of Panama case verdict, according to media reports.
Gulbaz Mushtaq and Usman Saeed Basra of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had filed the petition with the stance that Sharif family members might flee from the country to avoid further investigation against them in line with the Supreme Court’s orders of filing references against them in its Panamagate verdict.
The petitioners pleaded to the court to direct the interior ministry to place the names of Sharif family members including ex-PM Nawaz Sharif, his three children, son-in-law and former finance minister Ishaq Dar on a no-fly list.
Earlier in the day, Justice Amir Farooq heard the petition and asked the petitioners about the law under which the government may be ordered to put members of Sharif family on ECL.
The lawyer of the petitioners cited ECL Rules 2010, saying the Panama case has vindicated beyond doubt that it is a corruption case.
To a question by the single-judge bench, the counsel said the concerned forum was approached but to no avail, adding the matter pertains to public interest and one of the accused has already gone abroad.
The petitioner maintained the Sharif family has a track record of fleeing from the country.
However, the court turned down the petition as not maintainable.
