KARACHI, March 11: The Sindh High Court sought on Thursday comments from the interior ministry on a petition by Sindh Local Government Adviser Waseem Akhtar for deletion of his name from the exit control list.

The petitioner submitted through Advocate Rizwan H. Nadeem that he was elected a member of the Sindh Assembly as a candidate of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement a number of times and also served as a minister for local government.

Though he could not contest the last general election, he was specially called from abroad where he was doing business to assume the charge of the Sindh chief minister's adviser on local government, kutchi abadis and special development in view of his experience.

When he planned a visit abroad to wind up his business after taking charge, he was told that his name appeared on the exit control list and he must seek special permission from the federal interior ministry.

The permission was granted, though it delayed his departure. He went abroad twice in connection with his business and party affairs but had to obtain permission.

The petitioner submitted that he had done nothing to be subjected to foreign travel restrictions. He was not an offender or a defaulter and had never indulged in any activity prejudicial to law and order or national integrity.

The ban was clearly violative of his fundamental right to freedom of movement. A division bench comprising Justices Anwar Zaheer Jamali and S. Ali Aslam Jafri directed the ministry to file its comments within 15 days and asked a deputy attorney-general to appear on March 24, the next date of hearing.