Daily Times

The Lahore High Court (LHC), on Thursday, summoned the federal government and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on a petition filed by Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader, Hamza Shehbaz, with regard to his name on the no-fly list. The bench has directed the officials to submit their detailed responses till March 22. A federal law officer stated on behalf of FIA that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader should have approached the Interior Ministry to have his name removed from the no-fly list. To which, the defence counsel claimed that he had already done so. He wondered, “The federal cabinet gave approval for inclusion of his name in the ECL. How can the interior secretary entertain a plea for removal of his name?” The court was told how Hamza had returned from abroad in line with its directives. The bench adjourned the hearing till March 22. Hamza was previously given one-time permission to travel abroad by the LHC, after which he had left for London on February 3.

Published in Daily Times, March 8^th 2019.