Removal of Ayyan's name from ECL: SC urged to initiate contempt proceedings against officials

The apex court was urged on Monday to initiate contempt proceedings against concerned officials of the Federal Interior Ministry who allegedly failed to observe the court directives for removal of supermodel Ayyan Ali name from the Exit Control List (ECL). Ayyan Ali's counsel Sardar Latif Khan Khosa filed a petition in the Supreme Court under Article 204 of the Constitution read with Section 3-4 of the Contempt of the Court Ordinance for initiating contempt of court proceedings against three officers of the Federal Interior Ministry.
He made Arif Ahmed Khan, Secretary Ministry of Interior, Additional Secretary (ECL) Ministry of Interior Muhammad Asghar Chaudhry and Shahid Hayat, Additional Director of the Federation Investigation Agency at Jinnah International Airport, Karachi as respondents. Ayyan Ali submitted that after the apex court upheld the Sindh High Court verdict directing the Ministry of Interior to remove her name from the ECL, she sent a letter through her Attorney to Ministry of Interior to comply with the court directives and remove her name from the ECL.
Ayyan Ali said that she didn't receive any response from the respondent in the mater saying that after the apex court order of April 13, 2016, upholding the verdict of Sindh High Court of March 7, 2016, she purchased a ticket of a PIA flight for UAE on April 15, 2016 but no boarding card was issued due to non removal of her name from ECL.
She prayed to the Supreme Court to issue directives to the respondents to remove her name from the ECL adding that the respondents having obstructed, ridiculed and violated the orders of the apex court and high court of Sindh may be punished for committing grossest contempt of this court in the interest of justice. Substantiating his contentions, Ayyan Ali's counsel cited recent verdict of the Supreme Court issued in former army chief and President Pervez Musharraf' ECL matter saying Musharraf was allowed to go abroad the very next day of the judgement of the top court.
Khosa said that his client was prevented from travelling abroad despite a week having gone by. He further submitted, "the discrimination is all the more strikingly conspicuous as in Musharraf case the Federal government or the trial court may regulate his movement while in the case of the petitioner (Ayyan Ali) there is no such observation and the trial court as well as the Honourable High Court and Honourable Supreme Court have ruled that no restriction can be placed on the freedom of movement of the petitioner". It is worth mentioning that the Supreme Court on April 13 upheld the verdict of Sindh High Court which had issued directives to the Interior Ministry for removal of Ayyan Ali name from the ECL.