Lahore High Court Declares Offloading of Passengers with Valid Travel Documents Illegal
Lahore: The Lahore High Court has declared it illegal to offload passengers possessing valid visas, tickets, and travel documents.
The case regarding the offloading of a passenger was heard by Justice Raheel Kamran, who issued a detailed nine-page verdict.
The court set aside the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) decision to stop a citizen from traveling to Nigeria and ruled that preventing a passenger from boarding despite having valid travel documents was unlawful.
According to the judgment, the petitioner stated that he was suddenly offloaded after being issued a boarding card and was stopped from traveling merely on the suspicion that he might not return from Dubai.
The court observed that the petitioner was not involved in any criminal case, inquiry, blacklist, or Exit Control List (ECL). The ruling added that the offloading caused the petitioner financial loss, mental distress, and reputational damage.
The High Court further stated that traveling abroad is a fundamental right guaranteed under the Constitution. While the FIA has authority to question and stop passengers when necessary, those powers are not unlimited.
The court also issued guidelines for the FIA regarding the offloading of passengers. According to the ruling, officers must provide detailed and meaningful written reasons while offloading any passenger, and all questions asked from the passenger along with their responses must be properly recorded.
