Sheikh Rashid Stopped from Travelling for Umrah Despite LHC Order

Islamabad, November 5: Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed was reportedly barred from travelling to Saudi Arabia for Umrah on Wednesday, despite a Lahore High Court (LHC) directive allowing him to go abroad.

According to an LHC order dated October 30 — a copy of which is available with Dawn — the court had removed Rashid’s name from the Exit Control List (ECL) following his involvement in several May 9-related cases. The bench, led by Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan, had directed relevant authorities to permit the former interior minister to travel overseas without hindrance.

However, in a video message posted on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Rashid claimed that he was stopped at the airport despite having the court’s explicit permission. “Today, I was stopped from going to Saudi Arabia for Umrah, despite having permission from the LHC’s Rawalpindi bench,” he said, adding that officials at the airport refused to honour the court order.

The AML leader alleged that two officers told him he “could not go” and declined to follow judicial instructions. Expressing his frustration, Rashid announced plans to file a contempt of court petition against the airport officials before Justice Khan. “In a country where even a high court order is not respected, you can only look to God for help,” he lamented.

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The October 30 order had clarified that Rashid’s name was removed from the ECL “with the consent of concerned authorities” and that the Anti-Terrorism Court, Rawalpindi, had no objection to his departure for Umrah.

Sheikh Rashid, a close ally of PTI founder Imran Khan, has faced multiple legal challenges since the May 9 protests that erupted after Khan’s arrest. He was previously detained in early 2024 after a Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court rejected his bail plea in one of the related cases.

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