Overview
- The Federal Constitutional Court, issuing interim relief Monday, suspended a Lahore High Court ruling and revived rules that let officials inactivate passports and place names on the Passport Control List.
- The Passport Control List is a government roster that can stop people from leaving Pakistan for set periods, so those already listed remain barred from travel until the appeal ends.
- The appeal grows out of Farhan Ali’s case after his deportation from Iran, where the FIA sought his listing and the passport authority deactivated his passport and set a five-year travel ban.
- The government argues the Passport Rules 2021 are lawful under Section 11 of the Passport Act and Section 21 of the General Clauses Act, and says the measures align with UN anti-trafficking commitments and earlier Supreme Court directions.
- Coverage differs on whether a two- or three-judge bench led by Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi heard the case, but all reports say notices were issued and the matter was adjourned for a detailed hearing.