Shireen Mazari’s name is ordered to be removed off the passport control list by IHC
The name of former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shireen Mazari was ordered to be removed from the Passport Control List (PCL), which governs travel into and out of the nation, by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday.
Only a few days after she resigned from the party in protest of the May 9 riots, the former PTI stalwart’s name was added to the PCL on the advice of the Islamabad police on May 26.
Following the unrest that erupted following former prime minister Imran Khan’s detention in a graft case, a number of PTI prominent figures, including Mazari, were placed under custody under the Maintenance of Public Order legislation.
After Mazari’s plea through her attorney was submitted, the court rendered a decision.
It was ruled unlawful to include the name of the former federal minister in the PCL by advocate Barrister Ahsan Jamal Pirzada.
“[…] instant writ petition is allowed, placing of name of the petitioner on PCL is declared to be unjustified illegal, without lawful authority and of no legal effect,” a brief order published by the IHC read.
The court also instructed the director general of Immigration and Passport in Islamabad to present a compliance report to the judicial deputy registrar of the high court, in addition to ordering the removal of Mazari’s name from the PCL within a week.
In addition to granting Mazari’s request to have her name removed from the PCL restricting her movement, Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri of the IHC issued the orders while also rejecting her argument that doing so is “discriminatory and violative of the provisions of the Constitution” and unjustified.
Following the conclusion of the parties’ arguments last month, the petition’s ruling was reserved.
According to the petition, Mazari never received a show-cause letter from the relevant authorities, nor was she told that her name had been added to the PCL.
“Main purpose of enactment of Passport Rules, 2021, is that the persons who are involved in terrorist/anti-state activities etc. in order to avoid arrest, try to flee abroad, should not be allowed to leave the country, so that law enforcing agencies arrest and produce them before the courts of law to face the trial but in the instant case no such reason is extended by respondents as admittedly the petitioner in not involved in such likes cases; neither declared proclaimed offender nor became fugitive from law, rather was arrested, sent behind bars, released after obtaining bail after arrest and is now facing trial in all the cases,” it stated.
It further assured the court that the petitioner was cooperating in the court proceedings in all the cases registered against her
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