ISLAMABAD - Former President General (Retd) Pervez Musharraf has formally submitted an application to the ministry of interior asking the secretary interior that his name should be removed from Exit Control List (ECL) in the light of the Special Courts’ decision.
The counsel for Musharraf in high treason case, Barrister Farogh Naseem, said this while addressing an emergency press conference here at National Press Club on Monday. He said if Pervez Musharraf’s name was put on the ECL on the orders of the court then this decision should be reviewed after Monday’s decision of the court. He clarified that Special Court did not reject none of their applications rather gave decision that Musharraf could move freely as he was not under any bar. He said that the state owned media was not portraying true picture in this connection.
Naseem also said that former team of lawyers representing Pervez Musharraf in high treason case had not been removed while, according to his knowledge, they did not come to the court on Monday as a mark of protest. He rejected some reports that the special court had rejected his two separate applications and now his client could not fly abroad. “There was nothing such kind of thing in the decision of the special court,” he said. He informed that court in the decision said that as Musharraf appeared before the court voluntarily, so he could not be arrested.
“Under Article 15 of the Constitution, any person has the right to move freely,” he said, adding that neither the court had directed the federal government to restrict movement of Musharraf, nor had asked the government to put his name on ECL.
He rejected some claims that MQM chief Altaf Hussain had directly asked him to defend the case of Musharraf.
He also denied to disclose the amount of fee he would get in the case, saying it was a professional secret, however he would pay full tax on it.