The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has issued a notice to the director general immigration regarding the offloading of three passengers, including a married couple, who were scheduled to travel for Umrah.
Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir heard a petition filed by Asad Aslam, Imran, and Ishrat Imran, challenging the decision to stop them from boarding their flight on June 18.
During the hearing, the petitioners’ counsel informed the court that the passengers were prevented from traveling on the grounds that they lacked a hotel booking for their stay in Saudi Arabia.
The lawyer rejected the claim, arguing that the passengers possessed both a return ticket from a private airline and a valid hotel booking QR code at the time of departure.
He further alleged that airport staff behaved inappropriately with the passengers and offloaded them without properly verifying their travel documents. The counsel also claimed that officials demanded a bribe in exchange for allowing them to proceed with their journey.
The petition requested the court to permit the three individuals to continue their Umrah travel plans. It also sought reimbursement of approximately Rs1.4 million spent on the trip and called for a departmental inquiry against the officials responsible.
After taking up the matter, the Islamabad High Court issued a notice to the director general immigration and directed the authorities to submit their response.
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