The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has directed the federal government to remove Zartaj Gul, parliamentary leader of the Sunni Ittehad Council, from the Exit Control List (ECL).
During the hearing, Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri ordered the Assistant Attorney General to delete Gul’s name from the ECL and to submit a compliance report within one week.
Justice Jahangiri addressed the broader issue of political figures being placed on the ECL without substantial criminal allegations. “You do not name terrorists, yet assembly members find themselves on the ECL,” he stated, highlighting the disconnect.
He further challenged the practice by remarking, “I will call the IG to question why a political leader’s participation in a rally would warrant inclusion on the ECL.”
The court’s frustration was evident as Justice Jahangiri noted, “No one has presented cases involving gangs or terrorists, yet MNAs’ names are being added to the ECL.”
The matter reached a critical point when the court reviewed an urgent miscellaneous application by lawyer Osama Tariq, prompting the directive for a swift review and report of the names listed on the ECL.
Zartaj Gul was present at the hearing, where the prosecution submitted the records of two FIRs associated with her case.
