PESHAWAR: Peshawar High Court on Thursday ordered federal government to remove name of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf central leader and former senator Faisal Javed Khan from Passport Control List (PCL) and Provisional National Identification List (PNIL).

A bench consisting of Justice Sahibzada Asadullah and Justice Aurangzeb disposed of a petition filed by Mr Faisal, directing the government to allow him to leave for Saudi Arabia for performance of Umrah.

The bench, however, rejected a contempt plea filed by him against his off-loading at Peshawar’s Bacha Khan International Airport and not allowing him to board a flight for Saudi Arabia early this month in accordance with an earlier court’s order.

The petitioner had challenged placing restrictions on his international travelling and including his name in NPIL.

Allows Faisal Javed to go for performing Umrah

The high court had on March 4 allowed the petitioner to go for performance of Umrah and had ordered the government to temporarily remove his name from Provisional National Identification List (PNIL).

Advocate Alam Khan Adenzai appeared for the petitioner whereas the additional attorney general, Sanaullah, represented the federal government.

Several officers also appeared including director immigration and passport, Jawad Ahmad, the assistant director (PCL), Abdul Nasir, the assistant director, Asghar Jamal, the deputy director (law) of FIA, Shahbaz Noor, SHO of police station counter terrorism wing (CTW) Talha Zaman and an officer of FIA CTW, Iqbal Hussain.

When the bench took up for hearing the cases, it inquired about the cases on the basis of which his name was placed in the PCL and PNIL. Faisal Javed stated that the said cases were registered in Islamabad.

AAG Sanaullah said that presently there were three FIRs registered in Islamabad on the basis of which the petitioner’s name was included in PCL and PNIL. He said that in those cases section 7 of Anti-terrorism Act had also been included.

The AAG pointed out that his name had been included in the lists as he had not been appearing before relevant courts in those cases.

When the bench inquired how many other cases were registered against the petitioner which were not made basis for inclusion of his name in the lists, the AAG stated that there were six other cases against him.

The petitioner’s counsel said that if the court ordered removal of his name from the list, they would again violate the order by placing his name in the lists on basis of some other FIRs.

When the bench inquired from the petitioner whether his Umrah visa had expired or not, he said that the visa was still valid and he intended to go to Saudi Arabia from Peshawar.

The bench also asked him where he was residing. He said that he belonged to Swabi and was residing in Islamabad, but had now been living in Peshawar for last over a year.

Alam Khan argued that the name of his client was included in the lists on political grounds. He pointed out that the said three FIRs had been registered in Nov 2024, whereas the name of the petitioner was placed in the lists on May 6, 2025.

He argued that travel restrictions couldn’t be placed on a person on political grounds.

When the bench asked why need arose to place the petitioner’s name in both the lists, the AAG stated that these were two different lists. He added that name in the PCL could be placed for five years.

He said that his name was placed in the lists on the request of Islamabad police as the petitioner had not been appeared in court.

Alam Khan stated that the petitioner had already been granted protective bail by the high court till Apr 15 and prior to that date he couldn’t be arrested in the already registered cases.

Published in Dawn, March 28th, 2025