The Supreme Court was urged on Monday to summon supermodel Ayyan Ali in person to submit an affidavit about her visits to London and Monte Carlo in 2010. Without naming Arsalan Iftikhar, the son of former Chief Justice of Pakistan who reportedly accompanied Ayyan Ali in 2010 on the visits, an applicant, Shahid Orakzai, alleged that Ayyan Ali undertook a secret assignment for Bahria Town to support its "covert" attempts to influence the Supreme Court, saying her involvement and presence had been proven from the record of the Supreme Court.
The apex court recently reserved its verdict on the Customs Collector's appeal challenging the Sindh High Court's (SHC) verdict that issued directives to the Interior Ministry to remove the name of the supermodel from the Exit Control List (ECL). In March last year, Ayyan Ali, scheduled to depart on a flight to Dubai, was booked in a money laundering case when customs officials arrested her at Benazir International Islamabad airport after recovering $506,800 from her luggage. She was granted bail after four months and her travel documents returned after which she filed a petition in the SHC requesting the removal of her name from the ECL which was granted to her on 7 March.
Filing a concise statement, Shahid Orakzai submitted that the SHC has no jurisdiction to issue directives for deletion of Ayyan Ali's name from the ECL saying fundamental right is only to "remain in" Pakistan not to travel abroad.
Orakzai said that until Ayyan Ali is acquitted of the smuggling charge, giving her liberty to travel abroad would promote smuggling and her departure would nullify her arrest and prosecution. He further submitted, "this Court is, therefore, cautioned against the influence of Bahria Town. The record of the anti-smuggling case, too, is fabricated by Bahria Town Management. After the seizure, the respondent justified the money in her possession by claiming the sale of plots, incidentally all of them in Bahria Town. Thanks to the Management, she produced the required documents".
He urged the apex court to determine the basic purpose of her reported journey to Monte Carlo in 2010, arguing that her travel can be verified from her passport which she has never denied. "The Office has already known that her visit to Monte Carlo was designed to influence certain civil and criminal cases then pending before the Supreme Court. The said information, however, was never put before the Court in 2012," the applicant averred.
Orakzai requested the court to dismiss his application if Ayyan Ali's counsel Sardar Latif Khosa, former Attorney General for Pakistan, can prove that her visit to Monte Carlo was connected to the fashion business in any manner. The applicant alleged that "the key manipulator is Dr Faqir Hussain, the former Registrar, exploiting his office, he has had sizeable financial transactions with Bahria Town which treated him above all commercial regulations and practice. The documentary evidence of his black deals was examined by Justice (R) Sarmad Jalal Usmani and his order shall be placed before the Court".
Citing a Supreme Court judgement of 2012, Orakzai alleged that a commission of former Federal Tax Ombudsman Dr Shoaib Suddle appointed by the apex court did not identify Ayyan Ali as a party to the case and added that "this application may be dismissed if the respondent can prove that her visits to London and Monte Carlo were entirely self-financed. The record of this Court is to the contrary".
He requested the Supreme Court to place the concise statement before Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, Justice Faisal Arab and Justice Sardar Tariq who had reserved judgement in response to an appeal of Customs Collector against the SHC verdict to remove Ayyan Ali's name from ECL."Therefore, in view of the above, the Supreme Court may summon respondent Ayyan Ali in person and seek, through affidavit, the denial of visits to London and Monte Carlo," the applicant prayed.
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