IHC summons immigration chief

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has issued notices in a contempt of court petition over the failure to remove citizen Hashim Mahmood's name from the Exit Control List (ECL) despite a judicial order.

The court summoned Director General Immigration and Passports Muhammad Ali Randhawa and other respondents.

Justice Muhammad Asif of the IHC issued a written order following the hearing.

The court directed the concerned officials to explain their failure to implement the judicial order and appear in person at the next hearing. On September 4, the court had ordered the removal of Hashim Mahmood's name from the ECL and directed the authorities to process his application for passport renewal.

However, the report submitted by the authorities failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for their non-compliance with the court's order. The court observed that submitting an irrelevant response in contempt proceedings demonstrated negligence, which could not be taken lightly. It said the authorities could not evade clear judicial directives by shifting responsibility to other departments.

The IHC directed the concerned officials to submit a written report detailing the steps taken to comply with the court's orders.