QUETTA: The Balochistan High Court (BHC) on Wednesday declared the travel ban on Balochistan National Party (BNP) President Sardar Akhtar Mengal unlawful, ordering the federal government to immediately remove his name from the Provisional National Identification List (PNIL).
A division bench, comprising Chief Justice Rozi Khan Barech and Justice Sardar Ahmed Halimi, heard Mengal’s constitutional petition challenging the government’s decision to restrict his movement. In its ruling, the court directed authorities to lift the ban forthwith, terming it a violation of his fundamental rights.
Mengal had approached the BHC after he was stopped from boarding a flight to Dubai at Quetta airport in July. Airport officials informed him that his name had been placed on the PNIL, a temporary no-fly list maintained by the interior ministry.
The BNP leader maintained that the government’s move was arbitrary, unconstitutional, and politically motivated. The court, after examining the case, sided with Mengal and instructed the authorities to strike his name off the list.
