NAB investigation: SHC orders travel ban on KMC’s land officer

Officer, out on bail, also placed on ECL

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) directed on Friday the interior ministry to place former Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) land leases department deputy-director's name on the Exit Control List (ECL) and to not issue a passport or any other traveling documents to him.

A division bench, headed by Justice Irfan Saadat Khan, issued these directives while disposing of a petition filed by Mashkoor Khan, who faces inquiry before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) over corruption charges.

On Wednesday, the court had granted Khan pre-arrest bail against a surety of Rs500,000, with direction to deposit his passport with the court. A day after obtaining bail, Khan moved an application seeking exemption from depositing his passport. He also filed an affidavit, stating that he had not obtained a Pakistani passport or even applied for it.

The two judges granted him exemption. However, they ordered the interior secretary not to issue any passport and ordered to place Khan's name on the ECL. Khan had approached the court saying that NAB is investigating charges against him of alleged embezzlement of land in Landhi's Cattle Colony and had issued a call-up notice to him for questioning. Khan pleaded the court to restrain the NAB authorities from harassing or arresting him and sought a grant of pre-arrest bail to avoid arrest.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 20^th, 2016.