ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court-appointed Shoaib Suddle commission on Friday made a request to the Interior Ministry for placing the names of Arsalan Iftikhar and Malik Riaz on the Exit Control List (ECL).
"On Friday, we received a letter from the (Suddle) commission, making a request for placing names of Arsalan (Iftikhar) and Malik (Riaz) on the ECL. We’re processing it,” a ministry official said on condition of anonymity. He refused to reveal further details, saying: “Gentleman, I have no further details for you.”
A source close to Suddle confirmed the request, saying: “Yes, Suddle has written to the Interior Ministry for putting the names of Arsalan and Riaz on the ECL so that no one could escape the investigation. He, however, claimed that the request was sent to the ministry last week.
On June 12, Arsalan appealed to the Supreme Court to put him and Riaz on the ECL. He also requested the court to send them to prison.
Sources said Suddle was perturbed by Malik Riaz’s refusal to appear before the commission that might have resulted in sending the letter.
Earlier, Riaz's counsel Zahid Bukhari told the media that his client would not appear before the investigation body. “We have expressed concerns over the one-man commission of Suddle, who was an accused in the Murtaza Bhutto murder case. My client will not appear before it.”
Bukhari also filed a review petition in the Supreme Court challenging the commission.  He said his client believed that Suddle couldn’t carry out impartial investigation because he enjoyed good relations with the Arsalan’s family.