PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday allowed a writ petition filed against the inclusion of a resident of Charsadda on the Passport Control List (PCL) and granted permission to the petitioner to travel abroad.
A two-member bench comprising Justice Syed Arshad Ali and Justice Faheem Wali heard the petition.Justice Arshad Ali observed that mercy should be shown to poor people and they should be allowed to go abroad to earn a livelihood.
He remarked that the petitioner was no longer travelling to Dubai but to Qatar, and while authorities may seek to appease Dubai authorities, they should also have compassion for the poor.
At the outset of the hearing, petitioner Muhammad Aakif appeared before the court along with his counsel Syed Bilal Shah Bacha, while an assistant attorney general represented the federation.
The petitioner informed the court that he was travelling to Qatar on a work visa but had earlier been deported from Dubai due to overstaying at the airport.As a result, he was offloaded from the flight. He pleaded that his visa was set to expire in January and that his employer was repeatedly contacting him, requesting that he be allowed to travel.
Justice Arshad Ali asked the AAG to explain why the petitioner was being barred from travelling abroad. The AAG replied that under the law, the petitioner was barred from travelling for five years due to overstaying in Dubai.
In response, Justice Arshad Ali reiterated that compassion should be shown, emphasising that the petitioner was travelling to Qatar and not Dubai, and should be allowed to go abroad to work. The AAG assured the court that the authorities would comply with any directions issued by the bench.Subsequently, the court allowed the writ petition and granted the petitioner permission to travel abroad.
