The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday upheld an earlier Sindh High Court (SHC)order to remove supermodel Ayyan Ali’s name from the Exit Control List (ECL).
After the Islamabad customs collectors challenged Sindh High Court’s (SHC) decision to direct authorities to remove Ayyan’s name from the ECL earlier in March.
The apex court disposed off the petition, observing that the constitution does not allow for restriction of citizen’s movements.
The SC said there was no reason her name should remain on the ECL as she had regularly been attending hearings pertaining to a case of currency smuggling at the customs court in Rawalpindi and cooperating with law enforcement authorities.
The model had approached the court in December requesting the removal of her name from the ECL. Her counsel maintained that having her name on the ECL was illegal as authorities had returned her passport.
During a hearing of her case last year, the model said she was required to travel abroad for professional assignments and medical treatment, and since she had been released from jail on bail, her name should be struck off the ECL.
The model was arrested on Mar 14, 2015, on charges of money laundering after customs officials recovered $506,000 from her luggage at Islamabad’s Benazir Bhutto International Airport before she could reportedly board a flight to Dubai.
The case took a political turn when the airport entry pass of the personal assistant (PA) to a former president was cancelled for allegedly trying to facilitate Ayyan’s suspected attempt to smuggle money.
Later in June, a customs official who was allegedly investigating the money laundering case against the model was shot dead.
The model was granted a category B ‘VIP’ inmate at Adiala which entitled her to several privileges not available to other inmates because she was “not habitual of a less-than-comfortable lifestyle”.
Her counsel, former Punjab governor Sardar Latif Khan Khosa earlier said his client had been arrested on false charges of money laundering. He claimed that the Customs Act lacked interpretation of attempted money laundering and that the petitioner had not been allowed to record her statement after the arrest, which was mandatory under Section 139 of the act.
There seems NO need for contempt to Courts in Pakistan.
No need. Employees like Judges and Lawyers are efficient in Insulting Courts themselves by wrong decisions and at the SAME time they can keep talking about respect for courts.
Strange behaviour of Pakistani lawyers n people
Gai bhens paani me. The former governor of Punjab, Sardar Latif Khosa may feel happy for what he achied for the money-mule. He should, instead feel ashamed of helping those who are siphoning the wealth of this country and for decades. Defending criminals is like adding to the crime.
Sabir and neutral have done justice to this despicable news item.
By the way the only way to Zardari’s heart is through Ayyan. Is it a coincidence that Supreme Court takes her off ECL while Nawaz Sharif takes off for London!!!
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