LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Monday issued a notice to the Ministry of Interior on a petition seeking a direction to place the names of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan and former IGP Mushtaq Ahmad Sukhera on the exit control list (ECL).

Earlier, Advocate Ishtiaq Ahmad Chaudhry argued on behalf of Pakistan Awami Tehreek’s (PAT) Secretary General Khurram Nawaz Gandapur, that the three respondents were involved in 2014 Model Town incident which claimed the lives of at least 14 workers of his party.

The counsel said some other suspects of the incident, including Dr Tauqir Shah, former DIG Rana Abdul Jabbar and SP Abdul Rahim Sherazi, had already escaped the country.

He said the respondents could also flee the country since a judge of the high court had ordered the government to public Justice Najafi’s inquiry report regarding the Model Town incident. Therefore, he asked the court to order the Interior Ministry to put the names of the respondents on ECL.

After hearing preliminary arguments of the counsel, Justice Shahid Karim sought a reply from the interior minister within a fortnight.

Allowing a petition filed by the families of Mode Town incident’s affectees, Justice Syed Mazahar Ali Naqvi had ordered the provincial home secretary to immediately public the Model Town inquiry report, which had been withheld for the last three years.

However, the government filed an appeal against the decision saying the single judge lacked the jurisdiction to hear the petition as the same matter was already pending before a three-judge full bench.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2017