ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Higher Education Commission (HEC) to ensure removal of names of students from the Exit Control List (ECL), take stern action against those who disgraced them (the students) and tried to snatch their fundamental right, and submit a report in this regard within one month. A three-member bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was hearing a case in which the HEC has requested the apex court to declare those students defaulters who after completion of their studies on HEC expenses violated its terms and conditions. The bench observed that HEC failed to provide suitable jobs to its foreign returned scholars in the country as per its commitment. The counsel for HEC, Khawaja Azhar, told the court when Shireen Khan and Sajid Anwar, who completed their studies in Korea on HEC expenses, tried to leave the country without any prior intimation, the Project Manager HEC for Korea Scholarship Programme, Asif Kaleem, wrote letters to FIA for offloading these students. The bench asked the HEC counsel to present any rules and regulations enabling HEC authorities to make requests for placing names of students on ECL. When he could not cite such rules, the Chief Justice remarked, If there is rule of law, you have done wrong and if there is rule of jungle, you have done the right. The bench observed that HECs action was against Articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution, pertaining to freedom of movement. Justice Ch Ejaz Ahmed observed if the HEC did not give employment to highest degrees holders, they would leave the country. It is because of the treatment you accord to them that cream of country preferred to go abroad, he added. When the Chief Justice inquired why HEC disgraced the respectful students, Khawaja Azhar replied that the directions of Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) in this connection were also followed. On this the CJ remarked that ISI should have no concern in this matter, saying that this kind of hooliganism would not be tolerated. Khawaja Azhar apprised the court that it was an obligation on HEC foreign scholars that they would stay in Pakistan for a period of two to five years after completion of their studies. He said that a fair number of students were violating this agreement. Answering a query of the bench, he said that it was not the task of HEC to find suitable jobs for these scholars. On this the CJ remarked if this was not the task of HEC, why it restricted the students from going abroad in search of suitable jobs.