KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday summoned replies from the federal government, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and others in a petition of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Nisar Khuhro seeking removal of his name from the Exit Control List (ECL).

Nisar Khuhro had moved the high court seeking removal of his name from the ECL.

The court ordered the respondents to furnish their replies by April 1, 2021.

Khuhro stated in the petition that he wanted to depart to meet his family in the United States as his wife had contracted the coronavirus and his children needed his presence.

“The federal government placed my name in the ECL on malicious grounds,” Khuhro said, pleading the court to remove his name from the ECL.

Meanwhile, the SHC expressed its annoyance over the absence of the Adviser to the Chief Minister on Prisons, Aijaz Jakhrani, in the hearings of a case.

The SHC heard the bail petition of Aijaz Jakhrani in the third reference of NAB.

The court warned that his interim bail would be cancelled if he failed to appear in the next hearing.

Jahkhrani’s lawyer told the court that his client did not appear in the hearing as he had gone to Sukkur to appear before the high court’s Sukkur bench.

Justice Muhammad Karim Khan Agha remarked, “It is his problem. He has to appear in the next hearing at any cost.”

Upon the query of Justice Agha, the NAB prosecutor told the court that an inquiry was underway against Aijaz Jakhrani and other accused.

Justice Agha inquired about the time for filing another reference.

To this, the prosecutor replied that the bureau would complete its inquiry in four weeks.

Later, the high court directed NAB to file reference against Jakhrani and other accused besides submitting a report.

The hearing was adjourned till April 28.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021