The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) has restored the annulled provisions of the Passport and Immigration Rules, bringing back the government’s authority to place citizens on the passport control list.
The court on Monday suspended an earlier ruling by the Lahore High Court (LHC) and accepted the government’s appeal for hearing.
A two-member bench headed by Justice Hassan Azhar Rizvi heard the case.
Under the court order, the government’s power to declare passports inactive has also been restored.
During proceedings, Justice Rizvi asked whether the case concerned people leaving the country through illegal migration routes.
In response, the additional attorney general said a citizen named Farhan Ali had travelled unlawfully to Iran and was later deported.
The additional attorney general told the court that the citizen’s name had been placed on the passport control list because of the illegal act.
He added that the inclusion of the name on the list, along with the deactivation of the passport, had been challenged before the court.
Justice Rizvi then asked whether the individual had intended to travel himself or had taken money from others to send them to Italy.
The additional attorney general also asked what investigation had so far been carried out by the Federal Investigation Agency.
He said no information had yet been obtained from the agency in that regard.
He further stated that the Lahore High Court had earlier struck down Rules 3 and 10 of the Passport and Immigration framework.
The court later adjourned the hearing for an indefinite period.
