Govt puts Dr AQ Khan’s brother’s name on ECL

[Naveed Yaseen]

Government ordered to justify move

By Jamal Khurshid
The Sindh High Court (SHC) has asked the government to explain the reasons behind the placement of Abdul Qayyum Khan, elder brother of renowned scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, on the Exit Control List (ECL).

The court was hearing the petition of Abdul Qayyum Khan who had moved the court against placement of his name in ECL by the government since June 2004. Petitioner’s counsel, Mohammad Aqil, submitted that Khan was a retired executive banker, who had nothing to do with politics, but the federal government had put his name on the ECL since last four years without any show-cause notice or reason.

The counsel told the court that Khan’s name was placed on the ECL by the federal interior ministry upon the recommendations made by intelligence agencies but reasons for this placement had not been notified to the petitioner. He said that the petitioner used to visit Saudi Arabia on Iqama, but he was not being allowed to travel by the government due to the placement of his name in the ECL. He said that during the last four years, the government only once allowed the petitioner to perform Umra for a week in 2007.

He submitted that the petitioner was being victimised just because he was Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan’s brother who was at loggerheads with former President General (Retd) Pervez Musharraf. He said that the petitioner, 75 years old, was facing hardships due to the placement of his name in ECL and he could not proceed to Saudi Arabia for performing Umra despite valid Iqama for living in Saudi Arabia. He prayed to the court to direct the federal government to remove the petitioner’s name from the ECL and allow him to travel abroad.

As the matter was taken up before SHC’s bench comprising Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Syed Mehmood Alam Rizvi, the Deputy-Attorney-General informed the court that the concerned intelligence agencies were asked to submit reasons for placement of petitioner’s name on the ECL but a reply was being awaited. He sought time to submit the same at the next date of hearing.

Granting time, the court adjourned the matter to January 21 and directed the federal law officer to explain reasons behind the placement of the petitioner’s name on the ECL.

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