ATC rejects Sheikh Rasheed's plea for permission to travel to Saudi Arabia for Umrah

An anti-terrorism court has rejected a request by former interior minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad seeking permission to travel abroad to perform Umrah.

The decision was announced by ATC Judge Amjad Ali Shah.

During the hearing, the prosecutor informed the court that Sheikh Rasheed’s name has been placed on the Exit Control List (ECL). Following this submission, the court dismissed his application.

The prosecutor stated that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had added his name to the ECL on the directives of the federal government, as the names of all accused in the May 9 and GHQ attack cases had been placed on the list.

Counsel for Sheikh Rasheed argued that the move would be challenged in the high court, maintaining that the high court had earlier granted him permission to perform Umrah. He termed the fresh inclusion of his name in the ECL a violation of court orders.

The defence lawyer contended that higher courts had already established that the names of accused persons cannot be placed on the ECL solely on the basis of pending cases. He cited previous rulings in cases involving Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif, Pervez Musharraf, Ayyan Ali and Faryal Talpur as precedents.

Speaking briefly to the media outside the court, Sheikh Rasheed said he was surprised to learn that his name had once again been placed on the ECL. He noted that this was the second time his name had been added to the list, adding that it had previously been removed.

He said he would approach the high court again to challenge the decision and seek permission to travel for Umrah.