Former spymaster Durrani moves IHC against interior secretary in ECL case

Published June 25, 2019
Durran's pension and other benefits have already been stopped. 
— Aljazeera/File
Durran's pension and other benefits have already been stopped. — Aljazeera/File

ISLAMABAD: Former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief retired Lt Gen Asad Durrani has filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking contempt proceedings against the interior secretary for failing to comply with a Feb 27 court directive.

In his petition, the ex-spymaster said the interior ministry despite lapse of three months was yet to decide his representation for review of its decision on his travel ban.

The Military Intelligence (MI) had written to the interior ministry last year to put Gen Durrani on the Exit Control List (ECL) for co-authoring a book, The Spy Chronicles, with Amarjit Singh Dulat, a former chief of the Indian spy agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).

On Feb 28, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani of the IHC had directed the federal government to decide his representation pending before the interior ministry for review of the decision to place him on the ECL.

Military spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor addressing a press conference earlier on Feb 22 had announced that the military court of inquiry had found the ex-director general guilty of violating military’s code of conduct.

His pension and other benefits had already been stopped.

Gen Durrani in his petition has requested the IHC to initiate contempt of court proceeding against interior secretary Azam Suleman for not complying with the court direction and order the interior ministry to decide the matter immediately.

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2019

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