Travel ban: Ayyan files contempt of court plea against interior secretary and others

Model’s name was included on ECL despite SHC orders to remove it

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) issued on Friday notices to the interior secretary, immigration director and others on the second contempt application filed by model Ayyan Ali against the placement of her name on the Exit Control List (ECL) despite court orders.

Headed by Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi, the division bench also issued a notice to the deputy attorney-general to file comments of the federal authorities by June 23.

A day after she was barred from travelling to Dubai at the Karachi airport following the inclusion of her name on the ECL for a second time, Ayyan had filed a fresh application seeking contempt of court proceedings against the interior secretary, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and immigration authorities.

The high court had on June 2 quashed, for a second time, a memorandum regarding the placement of Ayyan's name on the ECL, directing the interior ministry to strike her name off the list immediately.



But, the interior ministry had once again put travel ban on Ayyan. During the hearing of her contempt plea on June 15, interior secretary Arif Ahmed Khan had personally appeared in court to inform that the court's earlier order had been complied with and the model's name was taken off the ECL.

The same day Ayyan was not allowed to board a Dubai-bound flight after her name was again put on the ECL.

In her fresh contempt plea, the model argued that the secretary had submitted before the court that her name had been removed and there was no legal impediment to her travelling abroad.

Advocate Qadir Khan Mandhokhel said that the applicant was again restrained by FIA, despite her name being removed from the list.

He said that the alleged contemnors, including the interior secretary, had given an undertaking to the court and claimed that there were no legal impediments to her travelling abroad. The lawyer further argued that the officials had committed a gross violation of the court's directives by disallowing his client from travelling abroad and putting travel curbs on her.

He pleaded to the court to take action against the contemnors. A direction was also sought for the federal authorities to comply with its orders in letter and spirit.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 18^th, 2016.