ISLAMABAD, Oct 28 (APP):The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday issued notices to the Secretary Interior, Director Immigration and Director General of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), seeking their responses to a petition challenging alleged unnecessary travel restrictions on citizens travelling abroad.
Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir issued the order on a petition filed by the Judicial Activism Panel. The court also issued a notice to the Attorney General for Pakistan to assist it on the important legal questions raised in the case.
The court directed that the matter be fixed for hearing in the first week of December.
The petition, pursued by Advocate Azhar Siddique, challenges travel restrictions, the Passport Rules and the Provisional National Identification List (PNIL).
Invoking Article 199 of the Constitution, the petitioner argued that the second part of Rule 22(2)(b) of the Passport Rules, 2021, was unlawful.
The petition stated that citizens were being placed on the Passport Control List on the mere recommendations of government departments or agencies. It further alleged that travellers holding valid passports, visas and confirmed tickets were being offloaded without prior notice or disclosure of reasons.
According to the petitioner, such restrictions caused irreparable losses to citizens seeking employment, education and medical treatment abroad, as well as those travelling to perform religious obligations, including Umrah and Hajj.
The petitioner asked the court to declare the PNIL, blacklist and stop list unlawful where maintained without legal justification.
It also requested directions for the Ministry of Interior, Immigration and Passports, FIA and National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to establish an integrated and transparent “Pak Travel Status Portal” to enable citizens to verify their travel status.
Source: APP (Associated Press of Pakistan)
