LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday chided an official of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for submitting a reply without signatures of the authority concerned to a petition of the wife of former federal minister Moonis Elahi challenging the inclusion of her name on the no-fly list.

Justice Shehram Sarwar Chaudhry observed that the FIA director was asked to submit the reply, but an assistant director signed it instead.

The judge asked FIA Director Sarfraz Virk, who was present in the court, whether he wanted to perform his official responsibilities or do politics.

The judge further asked the director that how many persons had been placed on the no-fly list, which, he said, was meant to restrict movement of the proclaimed offenders.

Justice Chaudhry noted that no inquiry or a case was lodged against the petitioner.

He said the impugned decision of the FIA appeared to have been made on political considerations.

The reply filed by the agency revealed that the passport of the petitioner had not been blocked. It said the agency placed the petitioner on the no-fly list on the instructions of the federal monitoring unit.

The director sought an apology from the judge and undertook to submit a fresh reply as per the court’s directions.

The judge adjourned the hearing till Jan 27.

Petitioner Tehreem Elahi submitted through her counsel that 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 Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan. She asked the court to set aside the impugned action of the ministry being illegal and allow her to go abroad.

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

Published in Dawn, January 21st, 2023