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SC suspends SHC decision on Musharraf travel ban
By Amir Jalil Bobra
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Monday, while accepting the appeal of the federal government, suspended the Sindh High Court (SHC) verdict regarding removal of Pervez Musharraf’s name from the Exit Control List (ECL) and maintained restriction on his travelling abroad.
A five-member larger bench of the top court headed by Justice Nasirul Mulk and comprising Justice Zaheer Jamali, Justice Saqib Nisar, Justice Asif Saeed Khoosa and Justice Ejaz Afzal heard the appeal petition filed by the federal government against the SHC decision. During the hearing, the top court maintained its judgment of April 2013 and directed the government to make sure that Musharraf remains in the country and ordered the initiation of criminal cases against him for violating the constitution and subverting it.
Froogh Nasim, counsel for Musharraf, had pleaded to the court that his client wanted to leave the country to visit his ailing mother admitted in a hospital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The top court said there is no guarantee that he will return to the country as a number of cases are pending against him and he is on bail in these cases. The federal government through its appeal pleaded to the apex court to suspend the decision of allowing Musharraf to go abroad and told the top court that it may be risky as a number of criminal cases were pending against the former dictator in the courts of the country besides he being the sole accused in the high treason trial.
Earlier, on June 12, a two-judge bench of the Sindh High Court comprising justices Mohammad Ali Mazhar and Shah Nawaz issued a verdict ordering the federal government to remove Musharraf’s name from the ECL. The SHC had declared that the parties opposing its ruling could move the apex court and kept its order suspended till 15 days and directed Musharraf not to leave the country during this period.Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk