Inclusion in PNIL: PHC issues notices to Centre, FIA in MPA’s petition

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court has issued notices to the federal government and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in response to a petition filed by Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) Abdul Salam Afridi challenging the inclusion of his name in the Provisional National Identification List (PNIL).

Also, the court resolved the petition filed by former deputy speaker Mehmood Jan, following the removal of his and his family’s names from the PNIL.The case was heard by a two-member bench consisting of Justice Sahibzada Asadullah and Justice Waqar Ahmad. Advocate Syed Sikandar Shah represented the petitioner, Abdul Salam Afridi.

Shah argued that Afridi, being a member of the provincial assembly, was unfairly included in the PNIL, preventing him from traveling abroad. He said that despite having been granted bail in all cases and not being wanted by the government in any ongoing investigations, the inclusion of Afridi’s name in the PNIL was unjustified.

After hearing the arguments, the court issued notices to the federal government and the FIA, asking for an explanation by the next hearing scheduled for May 27.In a related case, the same bench addressed the petition of former deputy speaker Mehmood Jan, whose name, along with those of his wife and children, was included in the PNIL.

Advocate Alam Khan Adenzai represented Mehmood Jan, arguing that the inclusion in the stop list was preventing the family from traveling abroad.Director-Legal FIA Abdul Rehman informed the court that the names of Mehmood Jan and his family had been removed from the stop list. Consequently, the court resolved the petition.