Order reserved on Dr Asim’s plea seeking removal of name from ECL

Dr Asim wants return of Pakistani and Canadian passports to travel abroad for treatment

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) reserved on Friday its order on the petition of Pakistan Peoples Party Karachi President Dr Asim Hussain, seeking removal of his name from the Exit Control List (ECL).

A two-judge bench, headed by Justice Muhammad Junaid Ghaffar, reserved the verdict after hearing arguments from the lawyers representing the petitioner, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the federal government.

Dr Asim, a close aide of former president Asif Ali Zardari, had approached the court seeking removal of his name from the ECL and the return of his Pakistani and Canadian passports to travel abroad for medical treatment.



In the application, he said he had been granted bail in February this year in a case relating to treatment and sheltering of terrorists at his private hospitals in Karachi. However, he was directed to deposit Rs2.5 million surety and his original Pakistani and Canadian passports. Meanwhile, the court had also directed the interior ministry to place his name on the ECL.

The applicant argued that bail was granted to him on medical grounds, whereby he was required to undergo a disc replacement surgery as well as treatment for cardiac issues.

His lawyer, Sardar Latif Khosa, had argued that in both the medical issues, especially the spinal problem, Dr Asim is required to have a disc replacement surgery, which cannot be done in Pakistan and, therefore, he has to be treated abroad. Even the cardiac issue was liable to be treated abroad, the lawyer added.



The court was informed that Dr Asim had contacted the doctor who will examine him and proceed with the surgery in England while he had to travel to Italy for examination by doctors for the cardiac issue.

However, he argued that it is impossible for the petitioner to leave the country since his passports had been deposited with the SHC’s nazir and directions had been issued for placement of his name on the ECL. Therefore, the court was pleaded to direct its nazir to return the two passports and also direct the removal of Dr Asim’s name from the ECL.

Producing details of the petitioner’s appointment with the doctor and travel, the lawyer had previously informed the judges that Dr Asim wanted to leave for London on May 7 for medical treatment and will return by May 22.



Expressing the apprehension that any delay in provision of treatment to the petitioner could render him paralysed, the lawyer had pleaded the court to direct the interior ministry to take his name off the ECL and allow him to travel abroad.

However, the NAB prosecutor had opposed the plea, alleging that the petitioner wanted to ‘escape’ criminal trial. The prosecutor had argued that his absence will cause delay in proceedings of corruption references filed against him by NAB in the accountability court. Therefore, he had pleaded to the court to reject the plea as it lacked merits.

After hearing final arguments on Friday, the judges reserved their verdict to be announced later.