SHC orders removal of Mama Qadeer's name from ECL

Earlier, the deputy attorney general accused the VMPB leader of inciting hatred against Pakistan's armed forces

The Sindh High Court (SHC) ordered on Tuesday the removal of Voice of Baloch Missing Persons (VMPB)’s leaders Abdul Qadeer Baloch, aka Mama Qadeer, and Farzana Majeed from the Exit Control List (ECL), BBC Urdu reported.

The leaders of the VMPB can move around the world as independent Pakistanis, the court said while announcing the judgement.

A division bench of the SHC comprising Justice Ahmed Ali Shaikh and Justice Farooq Ali Shah heard the plea filed by Mama Qadeer and Farzana Majeed.

Read: No exit: Human rights activists denied foreign travel at Karachi airport

“Mama Qadeer is a peaceful Pakistani citizen and authorities off loaded him from a flight at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport on March 4 this year without citing any reason,” Qadeer’s lawyer Wazir Khoso told the British based broadcaster.

“Mama Qadeer and Farzana Majeed are raising their voices for the rights of missing persons which does not mean that they are working against the state,” the application submitted in the SHC read.

Earlier, the federal interior ministry and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had submitted a reply in the court, stating that Mama Qadeer had been involved in anti-state activities for which he cannot be allowed to travel abroad.

The deputy attorney general had accused the VMPB leader of inciting youth against Pakistan's armed forces through his speeches. However, Qadeer’s lawyer contended that his client's struggle for the rights of missing persons does not suggest that he is attempting to carry out a mutiny against the army.

However, the court ordered the removal of VMPB leaders’ names from the ECL after noting that there is no case pending against Mama Qadeer.

This article originally appeared on BBC Urdu.