The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday dismissed a plea filed by Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) leader Gulalai Ismail, seeking the removal of her name from the Exit Control List (ECL). Justice Aamir Farooq of IHC took up the petition filed by Gulalai through council Babar Sattar. She had requested the court to remove his client name from the no-fly list. However, Deputy Attorney Raja Khalid informed the court that the Gulalai’s name could not be removed from the list as an investigation against her was underway. “Due to her involvement in criminal and anti-state activities, Gulalai’s name can’t be excluded from the ECL,” Raja Khalid said, adding that her passport was also in possession of the government authorities which now had been given back to her on request. Gulalai name was put on ECL on May 21 by the Ministry of Interior over her alleged anti-state remarks. It was for the second time that her name was put on ECL. Gulalai’s name had also been placed on the ECL in November last year. After which, she approached the IHC and challenged the government decision. The court, in March this year, had ordered the authorities to remove Gulalai’s name from the list. In November, the IHC was informed that an intelligence agency had recommended putting Gulalai’s name on the ECL for her alleged anti-state activities abroad. During the course of hearing, Gulalai Ismail’s counsel Babar Sattar argued that even though she had not been named in the First Information Report (FIR) registered against some activists, she was arrested upon her arrival from the United Kingdom. In the judgement, Justice Farooq had stated: “The impugned memorandum of placing Gulalai on ECL is set aside and the respondents are directed to hand over passport of the petitioner to her. Needless to observe that since there is a recommendation of Inter-Services Intelligence for placing the name of the petitioner on the Exit Control List, the respondents (of the Interior Ministry) are at liberty to take appropriate action on the same and even confiscate her passport in accordance with law keeping in view the observations made hereinabove.” Gulalai Ismail was arrested in Peshawar by Islamabad Police on June 10. Two cases have been registered against her in Islamabad under the anti-terrorism act for delivering ‘anti-state’ speeches.