PESHAWAR: A local court has rejected a damages suit of a senior journalist against the United States of America over the revocation of his ‘valid’ visa without information, and has declared it as not maintainable.

The additional district judge, Liaqat Ali, held that the suit, filed by journalist Mehmood Jan Babar, was not maintainable, primarily because a foreign state, such as the United States, could not be sued in the ordinary courts of another state under customary international law.

The court further noted that embassies enjoy diplomatic immunity and could not be sued except in cases involving personal contracts, which did not apply here.

The court also found no actionable role attributed to another defendant Turkish Airlines, stating that the airline merely acted on information that Mr Jan’s visa had been cancelled.

Declares suit not maintainable

Similarly, the immigration desk at Islamabad International Airport was deemed uninvolved in the visa cancellation.

The plaintiff had claimed damages to the tune of $20 million for facing humiliation, financial loss, and physical and mental torture due to revocation of his visa.

The defendants in the suit were United States’ embassy in Pakistan, Turkish Airlines and Pakistani immigration authorities.

The plaintiff has held the defendants responsible for breaching their respective duties and obligations.

Last month, a single -member bench of Peshawar High Court had set aside orders of a civil court of dismissing Mr Jan’s suit due to non-prosecution on Jul 19, 2021, and rejection of his appeal by an additional district judge on Mar 31, 2022.

The bench, while restoring his suit, had observed that the appellant Mehmood Jan Babar had the right to due process.

The high court had directed the trial court to resume proceedings from the stage of dismissal, stressing that courts must prioritise substantive justice over procedural technicalities.

The dispute dates back to October 2020, when Mr Jan was barred from boarding a connecting flight to New York at Istanbul Airport, despite possessing a ‘valid’ five-year US professional visa (Type I) issued in 2016. He had planned to cover the US presidential elections for his media outlets.

He claimed that after verifying his visa and travel documents in Islamabad, he was allowed to board a Turkish Airlines flight, but was stopped in Istanbul and forced to return to Pakistan “in an undignified and insulting manner.”

Upon inquiry, he said, the Turkish Airlines informed him that the US Embassy had revoked his visa. The US Embassy later confirmed the revocation under Section 221(i) of the US Immigration and Nationality Act but gave no reasons.

The plaintiff claimed he was not informed in advance, nor provided any explanation during or after the incident.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2025