LHC elicits ex-PTA chief's point of view

LHC not to put name of former chairperson of PTA on Exit Control List before listening to his point of view.

RAWALPINDI: The Lahore High Court’s (LHC) Rawalpindi Bench has directed not to put the name of former chairperson of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) in the Exit Control List (ECL) before listening to his point of view.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which had found former PTA chairperson Major General (retd) Shahzada Alam allegedly involved in massive embezzlement of PTA funds during his tenure in the Musharraf regime, had directed Cabinet Division secretary to add his name to the ECL so that he could not flee.

In October, Alam had moved the court against the request made by the committee. He pleaded before the court that the committee had not given him the chance to clarify his position before making the request.

Justice Sagheer Ahmed Qadri observed that Alam’s name could not be put on the ECL without him having a chance to clarify his position on the allegations.

However, the lawyer of the standing council told the court that only the interior ministry, not the Cabinet Division, could put his name on the ECL.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 16^th, 2010.