Court blocks Rashid's Umrah travel

RAWALPINDI:

A division bench of the Lahore High Court's Rawalpindi Bench, comprising Justice Jawad Hassan and Justice Raza Qureshi, has suspended a single bench order that had allowed former Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed to travel to Saudi Arabia for Umrah. The court also accepted an intra-court appeal filed against the permission granted to Sheikh Rashid and issued him a notice. The hearing of the appeal was adjourned indefinitely.

Following the suspension of the single bench decision, the federal government's petition seeking to prevent Sheikh Rashid from traveling to Saudi Arabia was also adjourned without any proceedings. The Deputy Attorney General was instructed to present the stay order issued by the division bench.

The federal government, through the Deputy Attorney General, had challenged the single bench's decision allowing Sheikh Rashid to go for Umrah. During the hearing, the Deputy Attorney General argued that Sheikh Rashid is accused in multiple cases, including the GHQ attack and the May 9 incidents, which are in their final stages.

There is a risk that he may not return if allowed to travel abroad.