ISLAMABAD: Awami Muslim League chief and former Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed was stopped from travelling abroad on Wednesday despite possessing a court order allowing him to do so.
According to details, Sheikh Rashid was scheduled to depart for Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah when officials at Islamabad Airport barred him from boarding his flight.
Speaking to the media, Rashid claimed that this action violated an explicit directive issued by the Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi Bench.
“The honorable Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan had permitted me to travel for Umrah and directed all concerned authorities to ensure there were no obstacles,” Sheikh Rashid said. “Despite the order being delivered to the relevant departments, I was stopped at the airport,” he added.
He further alleged that two officers, identified as Abid and Tauqeer, informed him that he could not travel, refusing to acknowledge the High Court’s ruling.
“When a country’s institutions disregard court orders, one can only look to Allah for justice,” he added, announcing his intention to file a contempt of court petition before Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan.
Sheikh Rashid expressed disappointment over the incident, saying that denying a citizen’s right to travel despite a valid court order was a serious violation of law. He said he remained hopeful that “Allah will make it possible for me to perform Umrah and that those responsible will face accountability.”
