IHC orders removal of Rajab Butt’s name from passport control list

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday ordered the removal of YouTuber Rajab Butt’s name from the Passport Control List (PCL), allowing his petition and disposing of the matter.

Justice Azam Khan issued a six-page written judgment after announcing a reserved verdict. Rajab Butt was represented before the court by Barrister Ahmed Khokhar.

During the hearing, the court was told that Butt’s name had been placed on the PCL on the request of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA). The deputy attorney general informed the court that the NCCIA had no objection to the removal of his name from the list.

In its ruling, the court held that keeping Rajab Butt’s name on the PCL was unlawful and unnecessary, and said the move amounted to a violation of his fundamental rights. The judgment further stated that after his appearance before the NCCIA, there was no legal basis to continue retaining his name on the list.

The court subsequently directed the relevant authorities to remove his name from the PCL immediately.

Earlier Karachi court proceedings

Earlier, on April 24, an additional district and sessions court in Karachi had cancelled Rajab Butt’s interim pre-arrest bail in a case concerning the alleged insult of Islamic symbols.

The order was passed after the accused repeatedly failed to appear before the court for hearings. In its written order, the court said he had also remained absent on earlier dates, January 13 and March 31, though his absence on those occasions had been condoned in the interest of justice.

Separately, on April 10, the same judge had expressed displeasure over missing evidence in the case and directed police to record Butt’s statement.

The latest IHC order relates specifically to the inclusion of Rajab Butt’s name on the Passport Control List and follows the court’s finding that there was no continuing legal justification for maintaining that restriction after his appearance before the NCCIA.

The court observed that retaining Rajab’s name on the PCL was unlawful and unnecessary, and amounted to a violation of his fundamental rights.

With the petition allowed, the matter before the Islamabad High Court now stands disposed of in line with the written judgment issued by Justice Azam Khan.