IHC voids law allowing agencies to curb travel
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has declared unconstitutional a provision of the Passport Rules, 2021, that allowed the placement of a citizen’s name on the Passport Control List (PCL) on the recommendation of government agencies or departments without identifying a competent authority or providing legal safeguards. Justice Raja Inaam Ameen Minhas, in a detailed judgement, declared the…
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has declared unconstitutional a provision in the Passport Rules, 2021 that allowed government agencies or departments to place a citizen's name on the Passport Control List (PCL) without identifying a competent authority or providing legal safeguards. Justice Raja Inaam Ameen Minhas ruled that this second limb of Rule 22(2)(b) was ultra vires the Passports Act, 1974, and contravened Articles 4, 9, 10A and 15 of the Constitution.
The judgement was handed down in response to a petition filed by Moinuddin, who was denied entry into Saudi Arabia on December 18, 2025, despite possessing a valid passport, visa, and air ticket. The court found that the relevant authorities, NCB-INTERPOL and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), lacked the authority to place Moinuddin's name on the PCL.
The IHC stated that the grounds raised by the passport authorities, such as Moinuddin's actions adversely affecting Pakistan's reputation and deterring others, were not contained within the Passports Act or the Passport Rules. The court emphasized that there was no legal effect to this provision, as it provided no competent authority, objective criteria, notice, hearing, reasons, or communication of the decision.
Consequently, the IHC ordered the authorities to remove Moinuddin's name from the PCL within 15 days and not to interfere with his lawful foreign travel.
Written by urgent.news from Dawn - Pakistan's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
