The Sindh High Court (SHC) adjourned the hearing of a plea seeking removal of former president Pervez Musharraf’s name from the exit-control list (ECL) until November 22.
The hearing was adjourned due to the absence of the deputy attorney general.
The SHC on November 12 issued a notice to the federal law officer, chief provincial law officer and the Sindh prosecutor general, asking them to submit their comments on an application filed by Musharraf seeking removal of his name from the ECL.
A division bench of the SHC, headed by Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, was seized with the hearing of the application filed by the former president, who pleaded the court to modify its earlier order, restraining him from leaving the country without the permission of trial courts.
The applicant’s counsel, AQ Halepota, submitted before the court that on March 29, Musharraf appeared before the SHC division bench and requested for a 21-day-transitory bail for enabling him to appear and surrender before the trial courts in two cases pertaining to the killing of Akbar Bugti and Benazir Bhutto.
He told the two-judge bench that the court extended his bail for 21 days with the condition that he would not leave the country without permission from the trial courts, adding that following the court’s orders, Musharraf’s name was placed on the ECL.
Halepota submitted that trial courts had confirmed Musharraf’s bail in two cases pertaining to the killings of Benazir and Bugti. He said Musharraf was also granted bail in the case relating to the death of Lal Masjid cleric Ghazi Abdul Rasheed during the army operation in 2007.
He said Musharraf wanted to leave for Dubai to enquire the health of his 95-year-old mother who was seriously ill. He said it was the uppermost desire of Musharraf to be with his mother after he had been released on bail in cases against him.
Halepota said placing Musharraf’s name on the ECL was a violation of fundamental rights. Therefore, he pleaded to the court to modify its earlier order putting his client’s name on the ECL.
After hearing the initial arguments, the SHC bench issued a notice to deputy attorney general, advocate general and prosecutor general Sindh to file comments till November 18.