Journalist Imran Riaz seeks removal of his name from no-fly list

In a petition filed in LHC, anhorperson says he was added to ECL ‘arbitrarily and in a haphazard manner’

LAHORE:

Journalist Imran Riaz Khan knocked on the doors of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday, seeking removal of his name from the Exit Control List (ECL) and Passport Control List (PCL) saying his name was added arbitrarily and in a haphazard manner “relying upon presumptive considerations”.

The anchorperson filed a petition through advocate Azhar Siddique contending that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested him from the Lahore airport when was boarding a flight to the UAE after he was booked over making “provocative a speech”.

Subsequently, the magisterial court dismissed the case against the petitioner and ordered authorities to release him immediately, the petition added.

Advocate Siddique implored the court that it has been brought to the petitioner’s knowledge through different sources that without any due deliberation, his name had been added to the ECL and PCL, which is against the law.

Also read: Imran Riaz set free by court

“Placing the petitioner’s name on ECL/PCL is a violation of his fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 15 read with Articles 4, 9, 10-A, 14 and 25 of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973.”

As such, the fundamental rights of the petitioner to life, liberty, freedom of movement and equal protection of law have been infringed upon, read the petition.

Furthermore, the name of the petitioner was placed on the no-fly lists without any notice of hearing, it added.

“Every citizen has a right to freedom of speech and expression, and there shall be freedom of press, subject, however, to certain reasonable restrictions as may be imposed by law in the interest of the glory of Islam or the integrity, security or defence of Pakistan,” added the petition.