LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Shahbaz Gill has approached the Lahore High Court (LHC) against inclusion of his name in the exit control list (ECL) by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

Mr Gill, through a counsel, pleads that he has been implicated in multiple ‘baseless’ cases at the behest of the federal government.

He says the FIA, on the instructions of the interior ministry, placed his name on the ECL.

He argues that the impugned action of the respondents is a clear example of political victimisation.

He asks the court to declare the impugned act of the respondents illegal and order them to remove his name from the ECL.

APPEAL: Former federal minister Moonis Elahi has filed an intra-court appeal in the Lahore High Court, challenging dismissal of his petition against recovery of capital gain tax on properties located outside Pakistan.

A single bench, on Dec 22, 2022, dismissed the petitions filed by Mr Elahi and hundreds of other individuals, challenging the powers of the government to tax the assets outside the country.

The petitioners had also assailed the section 8(2)(b) of the Finance Act, 2022, which empowered the government to levy the tax.

The single bench, however, declared that no fault was found in exercise of legislative powers by the Parliament under entry 50 of the Federal Legislative list, and the matter was within the competence of Parliament in terms of Article 142(a) of the Constitution.

Mr Elahi, in his appeal, argues that the parliament lacks authority to tax assets located outside the territorial limits of Pakistan, as defined under articles 1(2) and 141 of the Constitution.

The appellant further argues that the Parliament is divested of any authority to tax immovable property, which was excluded in terms of the entry 50.

He asks the court to set aside the decision of the single bench and declare the recovery of the tax on the assets abroad null and void.

The appeal would be heard by a division bench.

Published in Dawn, February 12th, 2023