PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday issued notices to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the federal government and other relevant authorities in a petition filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Higher Education Meena Khan Afridi, challenging the inclusion of his name in various travel restriction lists and the blocking of his passport.
A two-member bench comprising Justice Ijaz Anwar and Justice Babar Sattar heard the case and adjourned further proceedings for today.During the hearing, counsel for the petitioner, Bashir Khan Wazir advocate, informed the court that Meena Khan Afridi had been invited by a university in Germany to attend an academic ceremony.
However, he pleaded he was prevented from traveling because his name had been placed on various travel restriction lists by the federal government.The lawyer argued that in response to an earlier writ petition, the federal government had stated that the minister’s name appeared only on the Provisional National Identification List (PNIL) and not on any other travel restriction list. Subsequently, the court had ordered the removal of his name from the PNIL.
He argued that when the minister arrived at the airport to travel abroad, he was informed that his name had been placed on the Exit Control List (ECL), Passport Control List (PCL), and that his passport had also been blocked.
The petitioner’s counsel maintained that preventing his client from travelling despite an existing court order amounted to contempt of court.Justice Ijaz Anwar remarked that a contempt petition would have been the appropriate legal remedy in such circumstances.
In response, the lawyer informed the bench that a contempt petition had already been filed and that the present petition had been submitted on the directions of the chief justice.Justice Ijaz Anwar remarked that notices would be issued to the respondents and that both matters would be heard together.
The petitioner prayed the court to order the removal of his client’s name from the ECL and PCL so that he could travel to Germany. He argued that despite a previous court order, the authorities had allegedly placed his name on another travel restriction list the very next day.
The bench observed that it would not pass orders that were not implemented and announced that both the writ petition and the contempt petition would be heard together on June 11.The court issued notices to all relevant parties, summoned the responsible officials for the next hearing, and directed the attorney general to ensure that the concerned authorities were informed. The court also ordered the respondents to submit replies regarding the inclusion of Meena Khan Afridi’s name in the new travel restriction list before the next hearing.
