ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday directed authorities to submit a report regarding the travel ban on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Zartaj Gul.
The IHC bench, led by Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, heard the case and instructed the relevant official to appear in court for the next hearing.
Zartaj Gul had filed a petition through her lawyer, arguing that despite being granted bail in 47 cases, including 21 terrorism-related charges, her name remained on the Exit Control List (ECL).
The petition further stated that while her name had initially been removed from the ECL, it was later reinstated. The court was asked to direct authorities to remove her name from the list permanently.
The petition named the federal government, through the Ministry of Interior, as well as the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Punjab Home Department, Punjab government, and Islamabad police as parties in the case.
In a separate matter, on December 14, an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Islamabad discharged 32 individuals arrested in connection with violent protests at D-Chowk in the capital. The decision followed the police’s failure to provide sufficient evidence against the suspects, who were arrested on November 25 during the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protests.
The police had sought a 30-day physical remand for the suspects, but the court rejected the request. The suspects’ lawyer, Anser Kiani, argued that the accused were innocent laborers, wrongfully detained from their homes to meet arrest quotas. He also noted that the police had failed to conduct an identification parade.
