LAHORE – The Lahore High Court Chief Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry on Wednesday while strongly admonishing the lawyer dismissed a petition challenging condition of getting NOC for citizens to go abroad. The CJ while reprimanding Advocate Noshab A Khan, petitioner, said that by filing such useless petition they wasted important time of the court. The CJ said only to get projection in media they file such petition even without studying the relevant law. The CJ was holding proceeding of the petition as objection case against demand of the court office for the relevant notification on the matter. The petitioner could not bring the relevant notification on record.
Responding to this the LHC CJ held that the petition was only based on statements by politicians to media.
It is worth mentioning here that Khan is known to file petitions on different issues and many of his petitions have been dismissed. The petitioner had challenged condition, which according to him, was imposed by the federal government of obtaining no objection certificates (NOCs) for citizens especially artists, students and journalists before traveling abroad.
The office of the LHC had already returned the petition to the petitioner asking him to affix the impugned notification issued by interior ministry in this regard.
Advocate Noshab A Khan, in his petition, said that this condition is a flashback of dictator Gen Zia’s regime when artistes were hostage to NOCs. He stated that this decision is disappointing from a democratic government. He stated that this is an utter violation and encroachment upon the fundamental rights of citizens about freedom of movement as enshrined in constitution of Pakistan.
He said this action is violation of article 12 of the Constitution. He stated that it was gross infringement of civil liberties. He requested to declare this restriction as illegal, without jurisdiction and set aside it.
