Ban on issuance of Pakistani passports to asylum seekers challenged in SC

ISLAMABAD: The decision of ban on issuance of Pakistani passports to asylum seekers has been challenged in the Supreme Court (SC).

Advocate Saim Chaudhry moved the plea under Section 184 of the constitution. Federal government and the DG Passport have been made respondents in the case.

The court has been urged to nullified the June 5 passport policy of the federal government as no reason to ban issuance of the passport to asylum seekers was revealed.

Earlier, interior ministry announced that it will issue passports to its citizens who would get asylum in other countries.

The Ministry of Interior in a letter said that all those Pakistani citizens who will get asylum in other countries, on whatever basis, would not be issued Pakistani passports.

Read more: Pakistan won’t issue passports to citizens getting asylum

The decision was taken citing the national security reasons, sources said.

Sources said that the passports of such citizens of the country will stand cancelled and will not be renewable.

Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has issued instructions to the interior ministry.

The Passport Office following the minister’s instructions, has issued a letter to this effect to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other concerned authorities.