Rashid gets name stricken off ECL

Court reprimands officials for ‘unjustifiably’ including AML chief’s name on no-fly list

RAWALPINDI:

The Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi Bench has allowed Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed to fly abroad striking his name off the Exit Control List (ECL), declaring the Interior Ministry’s decision illegal.

The move signals a relief for the embattled ex-security czar who has found himself at odds with powers that be after siding with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan following the 2022 vote of no confidence that dethroned the ex-premier.

The court also reprimanded officials concerned for putting Rashid on the no-fly list without any solid reasons. During the hearing, National Accountability (NAB) officials and the prosecutor denied recommending the AML chief’s name to be put on the list stating that the then government didn’t consult with.

They maintained that Rashid was not wanted in the Al-Qadir Trust and the 190 million pounds case. The court had summoned the interior secretary and the ECL desk in charge in person but upon the interior secretary’s failure to appear before the court at the hearing, the court adjourned the case till 2pm.

While appearing before the court at 2pm, the interior secretary announced the removal of Sheikh Rashid's name from the ECL. The high court issued an order for the name to be removed on Wednesday, March 6.

The petitioner's attorney, Sardar Abdul Raziq, previously asserted that the Ministry of Interior's statement in the Al-Qadir Trust case was false. The court initiated a trial but Rashid is not implicated, and his inclusion in the ECL is a political vendetta. The former interior minister, who annually performs Umrah during Ramazan, will be able to perform the religious ritual this year too after the court’s decision.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 7^th, 2024.