ATC rejects travel request from former Interior Minister; lawyer promises to challenge in High Court
Former Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed spoke to the media on February 24 after being put back on the exit control list. PHOTO: SCREENSHOT
ISLAMABAD:
Former Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad’s foreign travel request for Umrah was rejected on Tuesday after his name was included in the Exit Control List (ECL) for the second time.
The prosecutor informed the court that on the instructions of the federal government, the Federal Investigation Agency had entered the name of Sheikh Rashid on the ECL. The prosecutor added that in connection with the incidents of May 9 and the attacks on GHQ, the names of all the accused were included in the list.
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The federal government had decided to place several Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders in the ECL in connection with cases arising out of the May 9 incident; including Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Omar Ayub, Fawad Chaudhry, Shibli Faraz, Ali Amin Gandapur, Shehryar Afridi, Usman Dar, Shireen Mazari, Zartaj Gul, Musarrat Cheema, Kanwal Shauzab, Sheikh Rashid and Major (retd) Tahir Sadiq.
Following the prosecutor’s statement, anti-terrorism court judge Amjad Ali Shah rejected Rashid’s Umrah request.
Subsequently, the senior politician’s lawyer announced that the decision and action would be challenged in the High Court, arguing that since the court had already granted permission to Rashid to travel for Umrah, putting his name on the LEC amounted to contempt of court.
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Speaking briefly after the hearing, Sheikh Rashid said he was surprised to learn that his name had been added to the LEC again, noting that it had already been removed. He vowed to challenge the action in the High Court and said he was confident he would obtain permission and perform Umrah.
In November 2025, Sheikh Rashid was barred from leaving the country despite orders from the Lahore High Court allowing him to perform Umrah. Rashid, who was traveling to Saudi Arabia via Dubai, was stopped by immigration officials at Islamabad International Airport.
After the incident, he said he would approach the court again, adding that all relevant authorities had been provided with copies of the court orders, ensuring that there would be no obstruction.
