IHC reserves judgment in travel ban case

Court questions five-month travel restriction despite agencies clearing ex-minister

ISLAMABAD:

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday reserved its verdict on a petition filed by former federal minister Sardar Yar Mohammad Rind challenging the inclusion of his name on the travel restriction list.

Hearing the case, Justice Inaam Ameen Minhas questioned the continued placement of the petitioner's name on the Provisional National Identification List (PNIL) despite the relevant authorities confirming that he was no longer required in any investigation.

"The concerned police say they do not require the individual, and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) also states that he is not wanted. Those who previously sought him no longer do so. Why, then, has his name still not been removed?" the judge remarked.

Barrister Zafarullah, representing the petitioner, read out a letter from the Quetta Police, submitted in compliance with the court's directions, stating that Rind was not wanted in any criminal case. FIA officials informed the court that the petitioner's name was not on the Exit Control List (ECL) but had been placed on the PNIL on March 28.

The court sought clarification on the duration for which a person's name could remain on the PNI list and when that period had expired. FIA officials responded that a name could initially remain on the list for one month, with a further one-month extension permissible upon approval.

Justice Minhas observed that the maximum permissible period was therefore 60 days and questioned why the petitioner's name had remained on the list for approximately five months.