Former Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad's request to travel abroad for Umrah has been dismissed on Tuesday after his name was placed on the Exit Control List (ECL) for a second time.

The prosecution told the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had added Rashid’s name to the ECL on instructions of the federal government. 

The prosecutor said that all accused in connection with the May 9 incidents, including the GHQ attack case, had been placed on the list.

The government had also placed the names of several Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders on the ECL in relation to the May 9 cases, including Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Omar Ayub, Fawad Chaudhry, Shibli Faraz, Ali Amin Gandapur, Shehryar Afridi, Usman Dar, Shireen Mazari, Zartaj Gul, Musarrat Cheema, Kanwal Shauzab, and Major (retd) Tahir Sadiq.

Following the prosecutor’s statement, Judge Amjad Ali Shah dismissed Rashid’s application.

Rasheed’s lawyer said the decision would be challenged in the high court, arguing that the court had already granted permission for him to perform Umrah and that placing his name on the ECL amounted to contempt of court.

After the hearing, Rasheed said he was surprised that his name had been added to the ECL again, noting that it had previously been removed. He said he would challenge the action in the high court and seek permission to perform Umrah.

In November 2025, Rashid was stopped from leaving the country despite Lahore High Court orders permitting him to perform Umrah. He was travelling to Saudi Arabia via Dubai when immigration officials at Islamabad International Airport barred his exit.