ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly’s standing committee on rules of procedure and privileges, on Tuesday, decided to contact Mr Sartaj Aziz, adviser to the prime minister on national security and foreign affairs, to take the up the issue of Sheikh Rashid Ahmed’s name on the ‘no-fly’ list with the United States (US) embassy.
The president of Awami Muslim League and member of National Assembly (MNA) Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, on March 21, faced an embarrassing situation at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport, when he was barred from boarding an airplane of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flying to Toronto.
Sheikh Rashid, who was leaving to address a convention in Calgary, was informed by the airline authorities that he can’t be allowed to travel as his name had been placed on ‘no-fly’ list by the transportation security administration of the US department of homeland security.
After Sheikh Rashid filed a privilege motion, a standing committee meeting discussed the issue on Tuesday.
MNA Chaudhry Mahmood Bashir Virk said that according the rules, the committee cannot contact the ambassador of any country, so it was decided to ask Mr Sartaj Aziz to raise the issue with the US embassy.
Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, while talking to Dawn, said, “It has been decided that Mr Sartaj Aziz shall be contacted and advised to raise the issue with the American ambassador.”
Mr Virk, while talking to Dawn, said that according to the law, any country can bar any person from passing through its borders.
“It is a good decision to first raise the issue with Mr Sartaj Aziz and then take further action,” he said. It is pertinent to mention that the Awami Muslim League president had found himself in a similar situation when he was denied the visa to travel to India in November 2007, when he was the federal minister for railway.
Foreign office spokesperson, Tasneem Aslam, said that the matter was taken up with the US embassy and the issue has been resolved.