Islamabad High Court strikes down law restricting citizen travel

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has struck down a provision of the Passport Rules, 2021 that allowed authorities to place citizens on a Passport Control List (PCL) without sufficient legal safeguards or transparency. The court ruled that the provision, specifically Rule 22(2)(b), was inconsistent with the Constitution.

Justice Raja Inam Amin Minhas issued the verdict following a petition by a citizen, Moinuddin, who was prevented from traveling to Saudi Arabia for Umrah despite holding a valid passport and visa. The court noted that while the government may refuse or withhold a passport, this does not inherently grant the power to restrict a citizen's movement or arrest their travel if the document remains valid.

The court directed that the PCL must be maintained strictly under the Passport Act 1974 and prescribed legal procedures. Authorities have been ordered to remove Moinuddin’s name from the list within 15 days, as no pending inquiries or law enforcement requirements justified his restriction.