The Islamabad High Court has ordered the removal of former ISI DG Lieutenant General (retired) Asad Durrani’s name from the Exit Control List.
Chief Justice Athar Minallah announced the verdict on Thursday after hearing the arguments in the case. Durrani filed a petition against the interior ministry and government in June 2019 for putting his name on the no-fly list for writing a controversial book.
Related: Former ISI DG Asad Durrani challenges his name being put on the ECL
Durrani has the same rights as other Pakistanis under the Constitution, the court said.
In 2018, the Military Intelligence had written a letter to the ministry of interior to put Durrani’s name on the ECL for co-authoring a book The Spy Chronicles with former Indian spy master Amarjit Singh Dulat.
Related: Defence ministry opposes removal of Asad Durrani’s name from ECL
The book contained “certain contents containing national security of Pakistan” which is a violation of the Official Secrets Act, 1923, the Ministry of Defence said in response to Durrani’s petition. “The situation necessitates that the petitioner’s name should be continued on [the] ECL,” the ministry said in its reply. “It is further highlighted that the petitioner is affiliated/interacting with hostile elements, especially Indian RAW since 2008.”
Former ISPR DG Asif Ghafoor said in a February 2019 press conference that Durrani was found guilty of violating the military’s code-of-conduct by co-authoring the book with former Indian intelligence chief. His pension and other benefits were also withdrawn by the army.
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