Karachi (Pakistan Desk) The Sindh High Court has directed authorities to remove unnecessary obstacles in the departure of foreign citizens returning to their home countries from Pakistan.
The constitutional bench of the Sindh High Court heard a case regarding difficulties faced by Bangladeshi citizens residing in Pakistan in returning to their homeland. The court directed relevant institutions to remove hurdles in the process of foreigners’ return.
During the hearing, the petitioners’ lawyer argued that Bangladeshi citizens had obtained travel permits from the High Commission on the basis of their travel documents; however, FIA immigration officials were not allowing them to travel.
The lawyer informed the court that while approaching relevant institutions for obtaining No Objection Certificates (NOCs), the petitioners were facing difficulties and harassment, whereas they wanted to permanently return to their country.
The government lawyer informed the court that verification of the petitioners’ travel documents from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was necessary. He said that after checking registration records with NADRA, the process of blocking identity cards would also be carried out, while permission to travel could only be granted after completion of legal proceedings under the Foreigners Act.
Justice Adnan Al-Karim Memon remarked that the right to travel abroad is subject to legal requirements and necessary restrictions. The court cannot ignore immigration clearance, identification, and the legal procedure for deportation.
The court stated that if travel permits are available, it is the responsibility of the relevant institutions to complete the legal process.
The Sindh High Court ordered that unnecessary obstacles should not be created in the petitioners’ return to their homeland and that the process of returning to Bangladesh or deportation should be completed promptly in accordance with the law. The court also directed the petitioners to provide necessary documents for identity verification.