According to the court’s order issued on October 30, the AML leader’s name had been removed from the Exit Control List (ECL) in connection with the May 9 case. The court had directed the authorities to allow him to travel abroad.

However, in a video message shared on X, Rashid said, “Today, I was stopped from going to Saudi Arabia for Umrah despite having permission from the LHC’s Rawalpindi bench under Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan.”

The AML chief recalled that “the court had directed the relevant authorities, who were present during the hearing, to comply and strictly adhere to the directives, yet I have been told that I cannot go.”

Rashid alleged that two airport officers informed him he “could not travel and refused to obey the court order.”

He vowed to file a contempt of court petition against the airport officials before Justice Khan, adding, “In a country where even a high court order is not honored, one can only look to God for help.”

The October 30 court order stated that “the name of the petitioner (Sheikh Rashid), with the consent of the concerned authorities, has been removed from the Exit Control List (ECL).”

The court further noted, “The Anti-Terrorism Court Rawalpindi had issued a general order for the impounding of passports relating to persons facing trial under Section 28-A of the ATA, 1997.

But at present, the respondents have no objection to the petitioner traveling to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah.”

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In January 2024, the AML chief was arrested after a Rawalpindi Anti-Terrorism Court rejected his bail in a case linked to the May 9 violence. He had previously been detained in 2023 by Punjab Police during the state’s crackdown on PTI supporters following the vandalism incidents that erupted after Imran Khan’s arrest from the Islamabad High Court (IHC).