Pakistan Supreme Court asks Imran Khan government to lift travel ban on opposition leaders

Islamabad, Jan 17 Pakistan's Supreme Court Thursday ordered the government led by Prime Minister Imran Khan to lift the travel ban imposed on opposition leader Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and the Sindh Chief Minister, and asked the nation's enemy of debasement body to test their association in Rs 35 billion 'fake accounts case'.

As many as 172 suspects were set on the Exit Control List (ECL) on the proposals of a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) shaped by the pinnacle court. An individual can't fly abroad if his name is set on the ECL.

The Supreme Court, in a definite judgement, requested the legislature to remove the names of opposition Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah from the ECL.

It, however, referred the report and material collected by the JIT in the Rs 35 billion 'counterfeit records case' to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Dawn news reported.

The JIT probes concentrated on "32 counterfeit records" which were purportedly used to give gigantic money related advantages to previous president Asif Ali Zardari, his sister Faryal Talpur and a few others.

"Removing of the names won't keep (the) NAB to test and in the event that adequate material is found associating these people with cognisable offenses, it won't be blocked from making a suitable demand to the national government to put their names on (the) ECL again or make any fitting move given by law," as per the judgement wrote by Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan.

The apex court in its prior instructions solicited the administration to erase names from Bilawal and Shah from the ECL yet the Cabinet waited for the detailed by point judgement.

After the judgement, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said the administration will choose whether it should execute the court requests or document a survey appeal.

Equity Ahsan was a piece of the three-judge seat that last year took a suo-motu cognisance after it rose that few major names were engaged with illegal tax avoidance through phony records.

As of now, a Karachi court is hearing the argument against Zardari and Talpur for supposed illegal tax avoidance.