LHC orders removal of Pervaiz Elahi, family's names from PCL

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has ordered the removal of Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi and his family members from the Passport Control List (PCL).

The court's decision on Thursday followed petitions filed by Elahi, his son Rasakh Elahi, and daughter-in-law Zahra Elahi, challenging their names’ inclusion on the PCL.

The case was heard by Justice Shams Mehmood Mirza, who dismissed the arguments made by the government's counsel.

Assistant Attorney General Shiraz Zaka, representing the Ministry of Interior, presented a report opposing the petitions.

He informed the court that while the names had been removed from the Exit Control List (ECL), they were added to the PCL on July 8.

Pervaiz Elahi’s lawyer argued that the government’s decision to re-include the names on the PCL was made in bad faith.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the court declared the inclusion of the names in the PCL as invalid and ordered their immediate removal.

The Elahi family had earlier petitioned the court on August 28, seeking removal of their names from the PCL so they could travel for Umrah. Their plea cited the government’s unjust restriction on their ability to travel abroad.

In a previous ruling, the court had allowed the temporary removal of their names from the list, but they were later re-added, prompting the family to reapproach the court.

Pervaiz Elahi expressed his intention to travel abroad for religious obligations and urged the court to permanently remove the restrictions.

He contended that the placement of their names on the list was an arbitrary act of political victimization.

Despite the court's earlier directive, the names had not been removed, leading the petitioners to file contempt petitions.