Pakistan’s Islamabad High Court has ordered the government to remove the name of Asad Durrani, the former chief of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), from the Exit Control List (ECL), reported Dawn newspaper.

The court in its order stated that there was no basis for keeping his name on the list. Chief Justice Athar Minallah, who was hearing a petition challenging the government decision to keep Durrani on the ECL, has also asked the Additional Attorney General Tariq Khokhar to appear in the court.

During the hearing, the chief justice asked the government if the restriction against Durrani was because of an impending inquiry against him. He questioned the government’s move, saying the name was added at a time when there was no inquiry pending against him. Durrani came under the scanner of Pakistan’s present military establishment in 2018 when he co-authored a book, titled The Spy Chronicles: RAW, ISI and the Illusion of Peace, with AS Dulat, the former head of India's Research and Analysis Wing intelligence agency.

He was also called to GHQ regarding his disclosure where he spelled out the country’s proxy war against India and Afghanistan using regional terrorist groups.  

"According to the record, there was no inquiry underway at the time. The petitioner is a retired three-star general and has also remained the ISI director. But now he is a common citizen and it is his right to move about with freedom." the judge asked.