PESHAWAR – Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has filed a writ petition in the Peshawar High Court challenging the blocking of his passport and the inclusion of his name in the Exit Control List (ECL) and other travel watchlists, terming the actions illegal.

Through Advocate Bashir Wazir, the petition names the federal interior ministry, the Director General of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the DG Passport and Immigration, and others as respondents.

The petition states that as the province’s chief executive, Gandapur must travel abroad for official and administrative purposes. However, his name has been unlawfully blacklisted, his passport blocked, and he has been placed on the ECL and other lists.

It further argues that the chief minister is engaged in serving the people and addressing public issues, which at times requires foreign visits for diplomatic and official matters. His counsel added that when Gandapur approached the relevant authority to renew his passport, the request was denied.

The petition contends that placing his name on these lists without prior notice has unlawfully barred him from traveling abroad, despite constitutional guarantees. It requests the court to order the removal of his name from the ECL, PCL, and NCL, restore his passport, and allow him to travel abroad.

Gandapur’s legal team has also requested the court to fix the case for an early hearing.