SHC seeks comments on contempt plea filed by Ayyan

Petition filed against interior ministry for restricting her inside the country

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) sought on Monday comments from the additional attorney general on the contempt petition filed by model Ayyan Ali against placement of her name on the Exit Control List (ECL).

The bench, comprising Justices Ahmed Ali Sheikh and KK Agha, was hearing the second contempt plea moved on behalf of the model against the interior ministry, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and immigration authorities for restricting her movement outside the country after the SHC had twice suspended the interior ministry's memorandum regarding inclusion of her name in the ECL.

On June 2 this year, the court had, for the second time, quashed the interior ministry's memorandum regarding placement of Ayyan's name on the ECL and had directed the interior ministry to immediately strike her name off the list.

However, she was barred by immigration authorities at the Karachi airport to board a private plane on June 15 this year, owing to her name still being on the list despite the interior secretary having informed the court that her name had been removed and there were no legal impediments to her travelling abroad. Filing comments last month, the interior secretary had justified that the second ban was imposed on Ayyan's movement outside the country following her nomination in a case relating to the murder of a Customs inspector in Rawalpindi.

The judges were informed that Saima Ijaz, the wife of deceased Customs inspector Chaudhry Ijaz, had recorded her statement before the Rawalpindi police, alleging that the model was involved in her husband's murder.

Ayyan, now on bail, is facing a currency smuggling case in the Rawalpindi Customs Court. She was arrested by the Customs authorities at Islamabad airport on March 14 last year after $506,800 were recovered from her luggage. According to the prosecution, she was trying to smuggle the money from Pakistan to Dubai.

Concluding his arguments on Monday, Ayyan's counsel Latif Khosa argued that the interior ministry's memorandum restricting the movement of his client is illegal, unwarranted and a violation of the basic rights enshrined in the Constitution as well as previous orders passed by the SHC.

After hearing final arguments from the petitioner's lawyer, the bench directed the additional attorney general to argue on the matter on September 5.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 30^th, 2016.