PML-N Vice President on Wednesday withdrew her petition filed in Lahore High Court (LHC) for the return of her passport so that she could travel abroad to perform Umrah.
According to ARY News, the fourth bench – special division bench comprising Justice Ali Baqar Najafi and Justice Sardar Ahmed Naeem had taken up the petition Wednesday morning.
During the hearing, Counsel for Maryam Nawaz Advocate Amjad Pervez, told the LHC that the PML-N leader wished to withdraw her plea.
Maryam’s withdrawal comes after four benches were formed to hear the petition due to judges recusing themselves one after the other.
Last week, a bench comprising Justice Ali Baqar Najafi and Justice Farooq Haider was hearing the petition when the former remarked that his colleague was not willing to hear the case due to unknown reasons.
The matter was then sent to Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti to place it before another bench. Later, another bench was constituted under the stewardship of Justice Najafi and comprising Justice Asjad Javed Ghural as a member.
Shortly after the proceedings started, Justice Najafi said that Justice Ghural was not willing to proceed ahead with the case. The matter was once again sent to the LHC chief justice with a request to constitute a new bench.
Before that, a two-judge bench headed by Justice Shehbaz Rizvi had refused to hear the case on April 21.
It is worth mentioning here that former premier Nawaz Sharif’s daughter had submitted her passport in the court after it approved her bail in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case.
The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday sought reply from National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday (tomorrow) on a plea from Maryam Nawaz, seeking permission to travel abroad for performing Umrah.
According to ARY News, Justice Baqar Najafi, heading the LHC division bench, asked as to in which case name of Maryam Nawaz was added to no-fly list.
To this, the NAB prosecutor said that her name was added to no-fly list after the LHC approved her bail plea. An appeal was filed against the bail plea, however, it has yet to be fixed for hearing, he said, adding NAB has filed petition to cancel bail of Maryam Nawaz.
Marium on April 21, filed a plea before the Lahore High Court (LHC) so that she can travel to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah in Ramzan. She has also said that she wants to travel to London to visit her ailing father, Mian Nawaz Sharif.
“I want to go to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah but cannot because my passport is surrendered at the LHC,” reads the plea.
Maryam Nawaz said in her plea that she was arrested by NAB in 2019 in Chaudhry Sugar Mills case and later the LHC approved her bail plea and in return, she submitted her passport to the court.
The division bench of the LHC comprising Justice Shahbaz Ali Rizvi and Justice Anwar-ul-Haq rescued themselves from the proceedings of the plea hearing today and asked Chief Justice LHC to fix the hearing before the bench that previously heard the matter, reports ARY News.
“The bench that granted bail to the petitioner should listen to the case,” the bench remarked after Advocate Ahsan Bhoon pleaded the case on behalf of Maryam Nawaz.
The latest stats from Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) show that the number of 3G and 4G customers in Pakistan increased by 1.73 million to 113.11 million by the end of March 2022, up from 111.38 million at the end of February 2022.
By the end of March 2022, the number of mobile users in Pakistan had risen by 1.79 million to 193.42 million, up from 191.63 million at the end of February 2022. The cellular population climbed from 87.17 per cent in February 2022 to 87.95 per cent in March 2022.
The entire teledensity had risen to 89.09 per cent, up from 88.31 per cent in February.
The overall number of Jazz 3G users was 6.489 million at the end of March, down from 6.607 million at the end of February 2022, a fall of 0.118 million. By the end of March, the number of Jazz 4G users had risen from 35.822 million to 36.518 million.
The number of Zong 3G customers fell from 3.501 million in February to 3.447 million in March, while the amount of 4G users increased from 27.483 million in February to 28.033 million in March.
Telenor’s 3G users totaled 3.911 million at the end of March, which was the same as at the end of February. The graph, however, shows a downward trend. Its 4G subscribers increased from 20.801 million at the end of February to 21 million by the end of March 2022.
By the end of March, there were 3.809 million Ufone 3G users, up from 3.873 million at the end of February. Ufone’s 4G user base expanded from 8.099 million in February to 8.6 million by the end of March 2022, a 0.501 million growth in the time period under consideration.
The Bangladeshi passport had a note written on it that said it was acceptable for travel to all countries of the world except Israel.
But a few months ago, Bangladesh dropped the words “except Israel” from the new electronic passports.
Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen confirmed the country’s support for the struggle of Palestinians and condemned the Israeli aggression against civilians.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said the words “except Israel” have been withdrawn from the passports for “administrative convenience”.
“This move will not affect our position . We are strong supporters of Palestine,” said Momen.
Gilad Cohen, the Israeli foreign ministry’s deputy director-general for Asia and the Pacific, said on Twitter: “Great news! #Bangladesh has removed travel ban to Israel. This is a welcome step.”
Great news! #Bangladesh has removed travel ban to Israel. This is a welcome step & I call on the Bangladeshi government to move forward and establish diplomatic ties with #Israel so both our peoples could benefit & prosper.@IsraelMFA#IsraelLooksEasthttps://t.co/LbOLbm9dfG
The Bangladeshi foreign ministry statement, however, clarified that the removal of the observation has been done to maintain global standards.
“The ban on travel of Bangladeshi passport holders to Israel remains unchanged. The Government of Bangladesh has not deviated from its position on Israel and Bangladesh remains firm on its long-standing position in this regard,” it added.
Pakistan has ranked as the fourth weakest passport in the world, only stronger than war-torn Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, on the Henley Passport Index.
The Henley Passport Index assesses the travel documents based on how many countries citizens can access without a visa, using information from the International Air Transport Association.
It does not take into account any temporary pandemic-related travel restrictions.
Based on the index, Japan is the most powerful passport with access to 193 countries, Singapore has come second with access to 192 countries. Germany and South Korea share the third place with each giving access to 191 destinations.
Despite a military coup, Myanmar has secured the 94th spot in the index with access to 47 destinations whereas India and Bangladesh stand at the 84th and 100th ranks, respectively.
China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have climbed from the 90th position to 68th, and 65th position to 15th, respectively.
European Union (EU) countries make the majority of countries ranked on the top 10 list of the Henley Passport Index. The report reveals that the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US) have dropped down to seventh place, together with Switzerland, Belgium, and New Zealand.
Among other countries, the passports of which are ranked among the most powerful are Italy, Finland, Luxembourg, France, Spain, Netherlands, Ireland, Sweden, Malta, Greece, and Norway.
The gap between Japan that holds first place and Afghanistan’s access to other countries is 167.
Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who is in London for more than one year due to medical reasons, will be without a passport now after it expires tonight.
Meanwhile, the interior minister in a presser said that the former premier’s passport will not be renewed and that the government could issue an emergency travel document on his request for returning back to the country.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has tried all means to bring Nawaz back but without any success. PM Imran had announced that he would go to the UK himself to bring Nawaz back. His statement was followed by Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed saying that only Allah can bring Nawaz Sharif back. But eventually, the government decided that it won’t renew the passport of the ex-PM in an attempt to force his hand.
Another reason that Nawaz cannot approach the authorities for the renewal of his passport is being on the Exit Control List. As per the law, a person whose name is on the no-fly list cannot apply for the renewal of his passport. However, Nawaz Sharif can return to the country anytime, as reiterated by Sheikh Rasheed.
So what options do Nawaz have? Will he take asylum in the UK or come back voluntarily? Or the UK government will accept Pakistan’s request for his extradition?
At present, it is all good for Nawaz.
The ex-PM has a ten-year visa and he doesn’t need permission to stay in the UK. But just in case, a person can stay in the UK for up to 18 months in case of medical treatment. For the British government, the only point of concern is legalities at the time of entry to the country, said a report in Dawn.
In addition to the medical reasons, the former premier has two more options: dependency law and investment option.
In the UK, dependency law applies to people over 65 and Nawaz Sharif is 71. The ex-PM can invoke the law if needs be. Given his age and frail health, the dependency law can be invoked and Nawaz can stay in the UK as a dependent of Hassan Nawaz — an established businessman.
And the third option is business plans. With a certain amount of investment, anyone can stay in the UK for a certain period of time.
So Nawaz Sharif, even though his passport is expired, can stay in London for a comfortable amount of time. Just like Dar, whose passport was not renewed but he was allowed to stay in the UK because he’s not on the negative list of any security agency and there is no adverse report against him.
The Henley Passport Index has released its annual report ranking the world’s strongest and weakest passports despite there being limited travel in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Henley Passport Index is based on data provided by the International Air Transport Authority (IATA) and covers 199 passports and 227 travel spots. Asian residents continue to have the world’s most powerful travel documents.
As the report doesn’t take temporary restrictions into account, Japan tops the list offering visa-free or visa-on-arrival service to tourists from 191 destinations around the world.
The best passports to hold in 2021 are of Japan with 191 destinations, Singapore with 190, South Korea and Germany with 189, Italy, Finland, Spain and Luxembourg with 18, and Denmark along with Austria with 187 destinations.
Followed by Denmark are Sweden, France, Portugal, Netherlands and Ireland with 186 destinations.
Many countries around the world have visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to less than 40 countries.
Passports with the lowest ranking include North Korea with 39 destinations on the 103rd rank, Libya and Nepal with 38 destinations, 105 Palestinian territories with 37, and Somalia along with Yemen on the 106th rank with 33 destinations to offer visa-free arrival.
Pakistan ranks 107th on the list with 32 destinations for the second time in a row, followed by Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, India, and Tajikistan.
UAE is on the 16th position rising from 62nd position from 2006 back when the index began. UAE provides visa-free/visa-on-arrival access to 173 destinations.
You can apply online for renewal of your machine readable passport if it has been expired.
What documents are required?
The following documents are required while applying for renewal of Machine Readable Passport through online passport service provided that your current passport is expiring within a period of seven months :
Color scanned copies of valid CNIC or NICOP or Smart CNIC or NICOP both sides
Color scanned copies of existing Passport (First two pages and one random page asked by system).
Color scanned copy of Valid Visa/ Aqama/ Residence Permit/ Asylum card/ Other Nationality Passport
For minors (less than 18)
The following documents are pre-requisite for issuance of passport to minors below 18 years:
Color scanned copies of valid NICOP or Smart card (both sides) or Computerized B- Form or Family Registration Certificate
Color scanned copies of mother and father valid National ID Cards (both sides)
Guardianship certificate/ court decision in case of separation.
Color scanned copy of minor’s attestation form ( available in the download tab).
Color scanned copy of Death Certificate if mother or father has passed away.
Color scanned copy of Valid Visa/ Aqama/ Residence Permit/ Asylum card/ Other Nationality Passport
Government employees
f the applicant is an employee of the Government of Pakistan, the following documents will be required:-
Color scanned copies of valid CNIC or NICOP or Smart CNIC or NICOP both sides
Applicant must provide No-Objection Certificate (NOC) in case he/ she is working as Government Officer/ Official, Armed forces Officers/ or employee of employee of Semi Government/ Autonomous Bodies/ Corporation. The NOC with be subject to confirmation/ verification by the department concerned.
Color scanned copies of existing Passport (First two pages and one random page asked by system).
Color scanned copy of Valid Visa/ Aqama/ Residence Permit/ Asylum card/ Other Nationality Passport.
Note:
Online portal is only for renewal of Machine Readable Passport. Following categories of passports cannot be applied through online portal.
New:
Issuance of Machine Readable Passport first time.
Modification:
In case applicants wants any changes in existing Machine Readable Passport i.e. name, father name, husband name, date of birth, caste, profession, dual nationality, marital status, religion and official to ordinary.
Reprint Exhaust:
In case applicant wants a new passport as all pages of previous passport utilized due to several visas/ frequent travelling.
Loss of Passport:-
In case applicant’s existing passport has been lost (misplaced and not in his possession) and they want a new passport.
In the above cases, the passport applicants are requested to approach nearest Pakistan Embassy/ High Commission/ Consulate General where MRP facility is available
How to upload documents?
You can upload supporting documents from the ‘Document’ tab in your e-Services Portal application session.
Before you start attaching files to your application, please remember:
There is a limit to the type and size of file that you can attach.
If you attach low quality scanned documents, it might slow down the processing of your application.
Type of files
We are able to accept the following types of files:
.JPEG
.JPG
.PNG
Size of files
We are able to accept the following sizes of file types:
Supporting document: 1MB
Fingerprint Form: 3MB
Photograph: 5MB
Naming tips
When naming your files to be attached to an online application only use numbers 0–9 and letters A–Z (upper and lower case), dashes ‘–’ and underscores ‘_’.
You must avoid using spaces ‘ ‘, periods ‘.’, ampersand ‘&’, hash ‘#’, star ‘*’, exclamation marks ‘!’, quotations ” “” and any other character that is not a letter, a number, a dash or an underscore.
How much will it cost?
How long will the Online Application Process take?
A 36-year-old woman in India allegedly took her lover on a tour to Australia on a passport forged in her husband’s name in January. One of the married couple’s children studies in Australia.
The two were supposed to return in March but due to the national lockdown, all international flights to India were suspended so they got stuck and returned home on August 24.
The woman’s husband works in Mumbai, has registered a complaint at a police station accusing his wife of having an illicit relationship with the co-accused, Sandeep Singh, 36.
He has accused Sandeep of forging documents to get a passport in his name.
Superintendent of Police, Jai Prakash Yadav, has ordered registration of an FIR on the husband’s complaint and an investigation into the matter by a local intelligence unit (LIU).
According to the complainant, he has been working in Mumbai for the past 20 years and occasionally visits his wife, who lives in their farmhouse and looks after his ancestral land.
“When I returned to Pilibhit on May 18, my wife was not at home. I came to know from Sandeep’s family that both had gone to Australia. To find out whether Sandeep forged documents to obtain a passport in my name to visit Australia, I purposely applied for a passport on August 24 at the Bareilly-based passport office. Then I found out from the passport authorities that a passport in my name had already been issued on February 2, 2019,” he said.
The SP said Gajraula police and LIU inspector Kanchan Rawat would investigate how a passport in the name of the complainant was issued despite identity-checking at multiple levels.
The Pakistani passport has been ranked as the fourth worst passport for international travel, according to the Henley Passport Index.
The Henley Passport Index is a ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. It has placed Pakistan on the 104th position.
Last year the Pakistani passport had been rated as the
fifth-worst passport to hold.
It shares the fourth spot with Somalia followed by Syria,
Iraq and Afghanistan. Pakistani passport holders still enjoy visa-free access
to 32 countries.
Japan came at the top spot as the world’s most powerful
passport. Other Asian countries on the list are Singapore, which is in the
second spot, and South Korea with Germany is in third place.
European countries also performed well with Finland on
fourth and Spain, Luxembourg and Denmark coming fifth. Sweden and France took
the sixth spot on the list.
The United States fell two places down coming on eighth,
sharing the spot with United Kingdom, Norway, Green and Belgium. Canada ranked
ninth.
The United Arab Emirates also climbed up 47 places to sit
in 18th place, with a visa-free or visa-on-arrival score of 171.
Here are the 10 most powerful passports in the world:
1. Japan (191 destinations)
2. Singapore (190)
3. South Korea, Germany (189)
4. Italy, Finland (188)
5. Spain, Luxembourg, Denmark (187)
6. Sweden, France (186)
7. Switzerland, Portugal, Netherlands, Ireland, Austria
(185)
8. United States, United Kingdom, Norway, Greece, Belgium
(184)
9. New Zealand, Malta, Czech Republic, Canada, Australia
(183)
10. Slovakia, Lithuania, Hungary (181)
Here are the five least powerful passports in the world:
