IHC orders removal of YouTuber Rajab Butt’s name from PCL

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday ordered the removal of YouTuber Rajab Butt’s name from the Passport Control List (PCL), granting him legal relief and disposing of the petition.

Justice Azam Khan of the IHC issued a six-page written judgment after announcing a reserved verdict. Rajab was represented in court by Barrister Ahmed Khokhar.

During the proceedings, it was submitted that his name had been placed on the PCL at the request of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA).

The Deputy Attorney General informed the court that NCCIA authorities had no objection to the removal of Rajab’s name from the PCL.

The court observed in its ruling that retaining Rajab’s name on the PCL was unlawful and unnecessary, and amounted to a violation of his fundamental rights.

It further noted that after his appearance before the NCCIA, there was no legal justification for keeping his name on the list.

Allowing the petition, the court directed the relevant authorities to immediately remove Rajab’s name from PCL.

Read: Karachi court cancels Rajab Butt’s bail over repeated non-appearance in hearings

Earlier, on April 24, an Additional District and Sessions Court in Karachi cancelled the interim pre-arrest bail of Rajab in a case related to the alleged insult of Islamic symbols. The court issued the ruling after the accused repeatedly failed to appear for hearings.

In its written order, the court noted that the accused had also remained absent on previous hearing dates, January 13 and March 31, during which his absence had been condoned in the interest of justice.

On April 10, the same judge had expressed displeasure over missing evidence and directed police to record Butt's statement in the case.