Losing patience: Govt gets last chance to justify ban on Afaq Ahmed’s travelling

When Afaq applied for a passport, FIA told him his name was on the ECL: lawyer.

KARACHI: The federal government has been given a last chance on Friday to provide evidence to justify why travel restrictions have been placed on Mohajir Qaumi Movement - Haqiqi chief Afaq Ahmed.

An irate bench of the Sindh High Court (SHC) gave this warning when the federal government failed to submit records the court called for to figure out whether or not Afaq’s name should be placed on the exit control list (ECL).

Afaq had approached the SHC against the federal interior ministry, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) director and others for placing his name on the ECL. On January 1, 2012, Afaq applied for a passport to travel abroad but that FIA authorities informed him that he could not leave the country because his name was on the ECL, he told the court. Banning his movement was unconstitutional since he was not involved in any anti-state activities or corruption, and that the move was an attempt to victimise him on political grounds, he alleged. His lawyer prayed the court remove his name from the ECL and to provide him a passport to travel to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah.

On January 15, the court had directed the federal government to provide documents to justify the travel ban after the latter claimed his movement is restricted because of his involvement in acts of targeted killings and terrorism.

On Friday, deputy attorney general Ashfaq Ahmed Tagar said the court’s order could not be complied with and requested for more time. This infuriated the two judges, who ordered him to comply with court order otherwise the petition would be decided on the basis of material available before the court. The hearing was adjourned till July 10.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 29^th, 2013.