LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday expressed displeasure at the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for not submitting its reply to a petition of the wife of former federal minister Moonis Elahi, challenging the inclusion of her name in the ‘no fly list’.

At the outset of the hearing, Deputy Attorney General Nasar Ahmad opposed the petition, stating that the FIA had found an illegal transaction of Rs27m in the bank account of the petitioner during 2020.

The petitioner’s counsel, Amjad Pervez, argued that the LHC had already set aside an FIR registered by the FIA against the family of Elahi.

Justice Shehram Sarwar Chaudhry warned an official of the FIA, present in the court, of action for not filing a reply despite a notice issued last week.

The judge directed the FIA to ensure its written reply by Jan 20.

Petitioner Tehreem Elahi submitted, through her counsel, she was going abroad on Jan 10 but the immigration officials at the Lahore airport did not allow her to board her reserved flight. She said the officials informed her that her name was on the no fly list and she could not leave the country.

The petitioner contended that the interior ministry had targeted her on political grounds after her husband and father-in-law decided to stand by PTI Chairman Imran Khan. She asked the court to set aside the impugned action of the ministry being illegal and allow her to go abroad.

Moonis has already left the country apparently to avoid proceedings of an inquiry by the FIA initiated against his family on charges of corporate crime.

Published in Dawn, January 17th, 2023