KARACHI: A Sindh High Court (SHC) bench has referred the contempt plea, filed by model Ayyan Ali against the Interior Ministry for not removing her name from exit control list (ECL), to SHC Chief Justice after the bench returned a split verdict.
Ayyan had moved the SHC, requesting to initiate court’s contempt proceedings against the officials of interior ministry for not putting her name off from the list that had restrained her from going abroad despite the SHC’s directives.
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The SHC division bench, comprising Justice Ahmed Ali M Shaikh and Justice Kareem Khan Agha, was hearing the application but it could not find unanimous verdict; therefore the application now referred to SHC Chief Justice Sajjad Ali Shah who will make a decision as the referee judge.
Earlier, the super model in her second contempt plea submitted that her name was not removed from ECL despite the court’s earlier directives. This act from the interior ministry is the contempt of the court and proceedings should be initiated against them, she added.
The federal law officer had informed the court that on its directives, Ayyan’s name was removed from ECL on the charges of money laundering but on 15, June 2016 her name was re-inserted in the list following her nomination in the murder case of custom Inspector Chaudhry Ijaz.
“Ayyan’s name was put on no fly list in the lights of statement of deceased’ wife,” he added.
Ayyan was barred to leave the country in June 2016 by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the agency had stopped her when she was about to fly for Dubai after her name was put off from ECL on the SHC’s directives.
The SHC had directed the interior ministry to strike Ayyan’s name off from the list that restrains her from going out of the country. The first contempt plea of the model against the federal government was disposed of by SHC on the government’s assurance that its directives will be complied with.
The scandal came on surface when the model was arrested from Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Airport, Islamabad on 14th March 2015 allegedly trying to smuggle half million US dollars. The passport of Ayyan Ali and $500,000 was confiscated by the customs authorities.
