Government Regains Authority to Place Citizens on Passport Control List

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Constitutional Court has restored the government’s authority to place citizens on the Passport Control List (PCL) and suspend their passports, after reinstating previously struck-down provisions of the Passport and Immigration Rules.
A two-member bench headed by Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi suspended an earlier ruling of the Lahore High Court and admitted the government’s appeal for regular hearing.
In its decision, the court revived the provisions that had previously been declared void, effectively granting authorities the legal power once again to include individuals’ names in the PCL and deactivate their passports.
During the hearing, Additional Attorney General Amir Rehman argued that the Lahore High Court had struck down Rules 3 and 10 of the Passport and Immigration framework, prompting the government to file an appeal.
He cited a case involving a citizen, Farhan Ali, who had allegedly traveled illegally to Iran and was later deported. Following the incident, his name was added to the PCL based on the violation.
Justice Rizvi questioned whether the case involved illegal border crossings, commonly referred to as “Dunki,” and inquired whether the individual had attempted to migrate on his own or was involved in facilitating others for financial gain. He also sought details about the progress of the investigation by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
The law officer responded that updated information from the FIA had not yet been obtained.
After hearing arguments, the court issued notices to all parties and adjourned the case for an indefinite period while maintaining the suspension of the Lahore High Court’s earlier verdict.