LAHORE   -  The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday ordered the removal of the names of former chief minister Punjab Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, his son Rasikh Elahi, and daughter-in-law Zahra Elahi from the Passport Control List (PCL). Justice Shams Mehmood Mirza passed the order while allowing separate petitions filed by Parvez Elahi and his family members challenging the inclusion of their names in the PCL.

At the start of the proceedings, a federal law officer submitted a report on behalf of the Ministry of Interior, stating that the petitioners’ names were included in the PCL on July 8, 2024, due to their involvement in certain cases. The report further stated that their names were placed on the PCL at the recommendation of the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Punjab. The court was also requested to dismiss the petitions.

However, the petitioners’ counsel argued that the inclusion of his clients’ names in the PCL was in violation of the law. After hearing the arguments, the court held that as per passport rules, the name of a person could only be included in the PCL with the approval of the federal government. “Since the names were placed in the PCL on the recommendation of ACE Punjab, the inclusion of the petitioners’ names is declared illegal,” it added. The court ordered the authorities to remove the petitioners’ names from the PCL.

The petitioners had stated that the LHC had earlier ordered the removal of their names from the Exit Control List on July 8, 2024, and allowed them to proceed for Umrah while allowing their petitions. However, the authorities placed their names in the PCL on the same date, despite the fact that they had either been discharged or granted bail in the cases registered against them. They requested the court to order the removal of their names from the PCL.