PHC restrains Afghan journalists' deportation

PESHAWAR: A Peshawar High Court bench in a verdict on Monday, restrained authorities from deportation of Afghan journalists staying in Pakistan.

The high court bench consisting of Justice Wiqar Ahmad and Justice Kamran Hayat Miankhel in a written judgment over a petition declared that petitioners Syed Ahsanullah Salehi and Syed Muneer Ahmed are Afghan journalists and directed federal government to decide their case within two months.

The court in its decision said that the petitioners had arrived on a legal visa and presently staying in Pakistan. “The petitioners’ applications for resettlement in France have been in pending”.

The court referred their cases to government to take a decision on principle of non-refoulment.

“Since this court has already referred similar nature cases to the Federal Government for decision and restrained the respondents from deporting them for 60 days or till decision of the Federal Government therefore case of the petitioners cannot be treated differently,” the bench ruled.

It directed the federal government to consider case of the petitioners and determine whether the essential ingredients for grant of asylum, sojourn or temporary stay existed in their favour on the principle of non-refoulment.