Former member of National Assembly (MNA) and leader of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Asma Arbab Alamgir on Tuesday moved the Islamabad High Court seeking contempt of court proceedings against secretary interior for not removing her name from the Exit Control List (ECL).
The former MNA filed the petition through Barrister Masroor Ali Shah and made secretary interior and chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB) as respondents.
She stated that being a prominent politician and vociferous opponent of the present government, the NAB chairman at the behest of present government and her political opponents has been unabatedly harassing her and her family members on flimsy and preposterous grounds solely to desist her from playing her political role in the country and speak for the downtrodden segments of the society.
Asma said that she had challenged the act of inclusion of her name in the Exit Control List (ECL) in the court, which was disposed of vide judgment dated 28.06.2018 with the direction to petitioner (Asma) to approach the Ministry of Interior as and when she requires to visit abroad in future.
She quoted the judgment, "In view of the above background of the case, instant writ petition stands disposed of with the direction to the petitioner to approach the Ministry of Interior as and when required by her for any visit outside Pakistan and the competent authority will decide the case of petitioner while considering the merits and request in accordance with the law."
The petitioner continued that it is germane to mention that, while the aforesaid petition was pending adjudication, her mother got seriously ill and was under treatment in a hospital in Dubai and she submitted CM no. 2130/2018 in the petition for obtaining one time permission (OTP) from this court to go abroad for two weeks and same was allowed. Then, she proceeded to Dubai to see her ailing mother and came back to Pakistan before the stipulated time as promised.
The former MNA adopted that she is currently suffering from a severe skin condition in respect whereof she consulted doctors in Pakistan who advised her to immediately get treatment of the disease from skin specialists in the United Kingdom. The petitioner sent her medical details and reports to Harley Street Skin Clinic in London, UK, for advice. After examination of her medical reports, they advised her to visit their clinic and get two-week medical treatment.
Asma also requested the court to direct the secretary interior to immediately grant OTP in terms of petitioner's application.