Islamabad admin likely to request Interior Ministry to put Qadri on ECL: report

ISLAMABAD: The federal capital’s local administration will ask the Interior Ministry to put Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) leader Dr Tahir ul Qadri’s name in the Exit Control List (ECL), reported a private media outlet on Sunday.

The private TV channel further said that the local administration has also prepared a report on the cases and judicial proceedings on Qadri. As many as five cases have been registered against the PAT leader, among which three are registered under the anti-terrorism clauses.

An ATC’s court has issued a permanent warrant against Qadri, and also ordered to confiscate his properties. Unlike Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, the PAT leader has not yet taken bail from the court on the cases.

In 2014, Khan and Tahirul Qadri staged a major rally in Islamabad against alleged rigging in the 2013 election and the Model Town tragedy, which had seen as many as 14 people killed and 100 others injured when police attacked Qadri’s residence during an ‘anti-encroachment’ operation.

Khan had threatened to shut down the entire country in what was perceived as a bid to topple the government. The protest had continued for a record 104 days.

On Sept 1, 2014, while the sit-in was still ongoing, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Asmatullah Junejo had been beaten up by protesters on Constitution Avenue as they stormed the Pakistan Television (PTV) headquarters and the precincts of the Parliament.

A case had been registered against Khan, Qadri and others for torturing SSP Junejo and five other police officers. Arrest warrants were also issued against the two leaders.