The Islamabad High Court on Monday summoned Interior Secretary Ahmed Raza Sarwar, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Director General Usman Anwar, and Director General of Immigration and Passports Muhammad Ali Randhawa to appear in person over the failure to remove citizens’ names from the Passport Control List (PCL), a watchlist that can restrict passport and travel clearances, despite earlier court orders.
A single-member bench of Justice Azam Khan heard contempt of court petitions alleging that authorities had not cleared the petitioners from the PCL even after judicial directives. The summons came after Immigration and Passports told the court the issue was still before an internal review committee.
What the court ordered and who must appear
In September, the court directed DG Immigration and Passports Muhammad Ali Randhawa to carry out its orders on removing citizens’ names from the PCL by the next date of hearing. On Monday, that compliance had not been shown to the court’s satisfaction, and Justice Azam Khan ordered the three senior officials to present themselves in person.
The petitions concern, among others, petitioner Wajahat Hussain, whose name the court had already ordered removed from the list. The judge stressed that the matter could not continue to be handled through the approach described in court, and directed that the director general be called to appear.
Officials cite a review committee; judge pushes back
A deputy director of Immigration and Passports informed the bench that the case was pending before a review committee. Justice Azam Khan asked how the court should treat a failure to implement its order merely because the file sat with a committee.
Immigration and Passports officials replied that the committee formed part of the procedure for reviewing such cases. The judge also asked what mechanism exists once a court has issued an order, and warned the assistant attorney general that the authorities would face consequences if another contempt petition was filed over non-compliance.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- September: The Islamabad High Court directed DG Immigration and Passports Muhammad Ali Randhawa to implement orders removing citizens’ names from the PCL by the next hearing.
- Monday: Justice Azam Khan heard contempt petitions; Immigration said the matter was before a review committee; the court summoned the interior secretary, FIA DG Usman Anwar and DG Randhawa to appear in person over non-compliance in the Wajahat Hussain PCL matter.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Islamabad High Court ne interior secretary, FIA ke DG aur Immigration ke DG ko bulaya hai. Unhen pehle se hukm tha ke logon ke naam Passport Control List se hataaye jaayein, lekin yeh abhi tak nahi hua. Yeh list passport aur safar mein rukawat daal sakti hai. Agar aapka naam is list par hai, to court ke hukm ke baad bhi clearance mein der ho sakti hai jab tak hukumat amal na kare.
