Pakistan's Islamabad High Court (IHC) has ruled unconstitutional a provision of the country's Passport Rules, 2021, that allowed government agencies to place citizens on a Passport Control List (PCL) — effectively banning them from travelling abroad — without identifying a competent authority or providing any legal safeguards. The ruling came after a Pakistani man was stopped at Islamabad airport and barred from travelling to Saudi Arabia for a religious pilgrimage, despite holding a valid passport and visa, following a recommendation by NCB-INTERPOL linked to a prior conviction and deportation from the United Kingdom for which he had already served his sentence. The court found that the restriction lacked a legal basis, due process, or any ongoing criminal proceedings against the petitioner, and ordered his name removed from the list within 15 days, with the judgement setting a significant precedent limiting the unchecked power of intelligence and immigration agencies to curtail citizens' freedom of movement.