The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has ordered the removal of YouTuber Rajab Butt’s name from the Passport Control List (PCL), ruling that the continuation of travel restrictions without lawful justification violates fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution. In a detailed six-page judgment, Justice Muhammad Azam Khan directed the relevant authorities to immediately remove the petitioner’s name from the PCL, provided there was no other legal impediment or restraining order issued by a competent court.
The court noted that Rajab Butt’s name had been placed on the PCL at the request of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA).
However, during the proceedings, the deputy attorney general informed the bench that the NCCIA had no objection to the removal of the petitioner’s name from the list.
The judgment observed that while the power to include an individual’s name in the PCL is derived from the Passport Act and relevant rules, such authority is not absolute and must be exercised in a fair, just, and lawful manner.