Exit Control List: SC rejects Musharraf plea for early hearing

The case is likely to be listed in the month of September.

ISLAMABAD: The apex court on Friday turned down former president Pervez Musharraf’s plea to fix the government’s appeal against the Sindh High Court’s (SHC) June 12 verdict about striking his name off the Exit Control List (ECL) immediately after the Eid holidays.

Now that the plea has been rejected, the case will be listed in the month of September, according to sources privy to the development.

Filing an application through his Advocate on Record (AoR) Chaudhry Ahmad Nawaz, Musharraf had requested the top court to fix the hearing of the government’s appeal immediately after Eid holidays so that the matter pertaining to removal of his name from the ECL could be decided at the earliest.

“There is grave urgency in the matter since the mother of the Respondent No.1 (Musharraf)  is very ill and the petitioner also is in dire need of medical advice and treatment which is not available in Pakistan,” the application had said.

Commenting on the rejection of the plea, Chaudhry Faisal Hussain, a member of Musharraf’s legal team, has expressed disappointment over the rejection of his client’s request.

“This smacks of discrimination as the court fixed the government’s appeal against the SHC verdict within one week upon the Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP)’s request but despite valid reasons, our client’s plea has been rejected,” he said.

The counsel ruled out speculation that the government is ready to allow Musharraf to travel abroad. “After the filing of a government appeal against SHC’s June 12 judgment, the departure of Musharraf has become a legal issue and it will be decided in court,” he added.

A five-judge bench of the apex court is hearing the federal government’s appeal against the Sindh High Court’s (SHC) June 12 verdict regarding removal of Musharraf’s name from the ECL.

The same bench on June 23 suspended the SHC’s judgment regarding removal of his name from the ECL and adjourned the hearing for four weeks.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 26^th, 2014.