LHC to hear Maryam Nawaz's petition for removal of name from ECL on Jan 15

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) will hear Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz's petition on removing her name from the Exit Control List (ECL) on January 15.

A two-member bench headed by Justice Tariq Abbasi will hear Maryam’s petition.

On December 21, 2019, Maryam had filed a petition in the LHC in a bid to have her name removed from the no-fly list. The interior ministry and director-general of the Federal Investigation Agency had been listed as respondents in the petition by Maryam.

The petition was the PML-N leader’s second attempt to have her name struck off the no-fly list. In a petition filed earlier in December, Maryam had expressed concern for her father Nawaz Sharif's health. Furthermore, she had requested the court to allow her to travel abroad so she could take care of him.

Read also: LHC to hear Maryam's petition for removal of name from ECL

Maryam had added she was under a lot of stress these days as she was unable to care for her father at a time when he needed to be closely monitored.

Subsequently, the high court had asked the government to make a final decision about removing Maryam's name from the ECL within the next seven days.

The federal cabinet on December 24 had decided against allowing Maryam permission to fly abroad. 

"The cabinet has unanimously rejected the request for removal of a VIP's name from the ECL," Special Assistant to the PM Firdous Ashiq Awan had said.  

Read also: 'Govt won't remove Maryam's name from ECL'

Maryam and her father Nawaz were placed on the ECL in 2018, following their conviction in the Avenfield reference.

It is pertinent to mention that on November 4, the LHC had granted bail to Maryam in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case.