The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has ruled that citizens cannot be placed on the Passport Control List (PCL) or stopped from travelling abroad without clear legal authority and fulfilment of all required legal procedures, 24NewsHD TV reported on Saturday.
Justice Raja Inam Amin Minhas issued the detailed judgment on a petition filed by a citizen who was stopped at the airport while travelling to Saudi Arabia for Umrah.
The court declared the relevant provision of Rule 22(2)(b) of the Passport Rules 2021 inconsistent with the Constitution and directed the authorities to prepare the PCL strictly in accordance with the Passport Act 1974 and the procedure prescribed under the relevant rules.
The court also ordered the Interior Secretary, Director General Immigration and Passports, and Director General FIA to be provided copies of the judgment.
The petitioner, identified as Moinuddin, had earlier been sentenced to three years in prison in Saudi Arabia for dangerous driving and was later deported after completing his sentence.
The court noted that his passport had neither been cancelled nor confiscated, and he had not been prevented from holding valid travel documents or renewing his passport.
After obtaining a visa, the petitioner planned to travel to Saudi Arabia for Umrah but was offloaded at the airport.
The court observed that there was no pending case or inquiry against him and that he was not wanted by any law-enforcement agency.
The court ordered the authorities to remove Moinuddin’s name from the PCL within 15 days.
The judgment also expressed serious concern over the authorities’ failure to properly comply with an earlier court order issued on January 15, 2026, directing them to decide the petitioner’s case within one week.