Khurram Sher Zaman’s name not active on no-fly list, SHC told

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Tuesday disposed of a petition filed by a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader against the placement of his name on the Exit Control List (ECL) after the court was informed that the name of the petitioner was not active on the stop list or no- fly list.

Zaman submitted that he was elected twice as MPA of the Sindh Assembly and recently contested the general election for the National Assembly constituency NA-241 Karachi.

He said he wanted to perform Umrah and approached the passport authorities for renewal of his passport; however, he came to know that his name had been placed on the Exit Control List.

He said he had been implicated in five criminal cases as part of political victimisation but was granted bail in all cases. He submitted that the restriction on his travelling abroad was unlawful and no right of hearing had been given to him by the competent authority prior to placing his name on the no-fly list.

The court was requested to set aside the travel restriction against the petitioner and allow him to travel aboard for performing Umrah. A federal law officer submitted before the court that the Federal Investigation Agency was not complainant in the case while the name of the petitioner was not active on the stop list or the no-fly list.

A high court division bench headed by Chief Justice Mohammad Shafi Siddiqui, after taking the statement of the federal law officer on record, observed that as conceded by the law officer the petitioner is free to fly and to have renewed his passport. The court then disposed of the petition.

On a petition of a Baloch rights activist against her having been off-loaded from a plane to prevent her from travelling abroad, the federal law officer sought time to place on record relevant documents received by the Balochistan government.

The court also directed the federal law officer to submit the relevant letter on the basis of which the name of the petitioner was placed on the ECL.

Petitioner Sammi Deen Baloch submitted that she was travelling to Oman on September 8, but FIA immigration authorities restrained her from travelling aboard without mentioning any valid reasons.

The petitioner’s counsel Jibran Nasir submitted that the petitioner was a rights activist who was campaigning for the release of missing persons in Balochistan, including her father, and their committee used to hold protest demonstrations or the recovery of missing persons.

The counsel submitted that the petitioner wanted to proceed to Oman and then to Brussels to receive a human rights award from a human rights organisation. He submitted that the impugned action by the FIA immigration restraining her from travelling abroad was unlawful and liable to be set aside.

The court was requested to declare that restraining the petitioner from travelling abroad was illegal and to direct the immigration authorities to allow the petitioner to travel aboard without mentioning embargo on her travelling documents.