Inclusion of Shireen Mazari’s name in no-fly list irks IHC

Justice Jahangiri seeks report from federal government within a week

ISLAMABAD:

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has sought a report from the federal govt in the matter pertaining to the inclusion of the name of former federal minister Shireen Mazari to the Passport Control List (PCL).

The federal government Tuesday apprised the IHC through the additional attorney general that the name of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader was included in the PCL by the immigration authorities on the recommendation of sensitive institutions.

“On what basis Shireen Mazari’s name was included in the PCL?” inquired IHC Judge Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri. The court remarked that the names of thousands of proclaimed offenders are not included in the PCL. “How was Mazari’s name included in the PCL list?” the court wondered and ordered the government to submit the report within a week.

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The directives came during the hearing of the petition filed by PTI leader Mazari, seeking the removal of her name from the PCL.

During the course of the hearing, the court inquired the AAG whether the political government had included Mazari’s name in the PCL list. The court asked AAG to clarify his position on the issue. “This court had removed the name from PCL in the foreign funding case. Have you challenged the order of this court?” inquired Justice Jahangiri.

The AAG informed the court that Mazari’s name was added to the list under the rules. The court sought a report from the AAG within a week.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 15^th, 2023.