LHC seeks response from federal govt regarding Maryam’s removal from ECL

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday issued a notice to the federal government seeking written response on Maryam Nawaz’s request for removing her name from the Exit Control List (ECL).

A two-member bench presided by Justice Tarq Abbasi heard a petition filed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) vice-president for removal of her name from the ECL and return her passport.

Maryam’s lawyer pleaded before the court that earlier, the court had directed the government to submit their response within seven days so that her name can be removed from ECL and she could visit her ailing father, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, in London.



Adjourning the hearing till January 21, LHC sought a written explanation from the federal government on the delay.

On Tuesday, the federal cabinet gave a nod to place Maryam on no-fly-list in Chaudhry Sugar Mills corruption case.

Under the law, the names would be placed by the Ministry of Interior.

The development came following the federal cabinet’s meeting headed by Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad earlier in the day.



Maryam, who has already been on ECL ever since she was convicted in the Avenfield corruption reference in 2018, is also accused of money laundering.

She was arrested by the anti-corruption watchdog on August 8, 2019, in a case pertaining to “shady business transactions” at CSM, where she is a major shareholder.

She was granted bail by LHC in November later that year.