The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday ordered the immediate removal of YouTuber Rajab Butt from the Passport Control List (PCL), subject to the absence of any other legal restriction.
In a six-page verdict, Justice Muhammad Azam Khan said that the authority to place names on the PCL was not unlimited and must be exercised in a fair and lawful manner.
The court observed that placing an individual's name on the list directly affects their fundamental right to free movement. It emphasised that such restrictions required solid and justifiable reasons.
The ruling further noted that the primary purpose of including a name in the passport control list is to ensure the individual's appearance before investigative agencies or courts.
Once that objective is achieved, the continuation of such a restriction becomes unnecessary, it said.
The court directed the relevant authorities to remove Butt's name from the list, provided there was no other legal requirement or order from a competent court preventing the action.
The IHC verdict comes just days after a sessions court in Karachi revoked his interim pre-arrest bail in a case pertaining to hurting religious feelings.
The court revoked Butt's bail after he failed to appear before the court.
Apart from the controversial speech case, Butt is also booked in another case on charges of promoting gambling and betting applications.
In September last year, the YouTuber was booked by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) on charges of promoting gambling and betting applications.
According to the FIR, Butt was accused of using social media videos and advertisements to encourage people to invest in gambling and betting apps, causing them to lose their hard-earned money.
