IHC seeks answers on passenger offloading

ISLAMABAD:

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has sought responses from the interior secretary, the director of immigration and the director general of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in a case challenging allegedly unnecessary travel restrictions imposed on citizens.

Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir issued the order while hearing a petition filed by the Judicial Activism Panel, which challenges travel restrictions, passport rules and the placement of citizens' names on the Passport Control List (PCL) and the Provisional National Identification List (PNIL).

The court also issued a notice to the Attorney General of Pakistan, seeking assistance on important legal questions, and directed that the case be fixed for hearing in the first week of December.

According to the petition, citizens' names are placed on the relevant travel control lists merely on the recommendations of government departments or agencies. It further alleges that travellers holding valid passports, visas and confirmed tickets are offloaded without prior notice or an explanation of the reasons.

The petitioner contended that such restrictions caused irreparable harm to citizens by disrupting their employment, education and medical treatment.