(MENAFN- Khaama Press)
People protested against the deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan at a rally by the Women's Movement 'Aurat March' in Lahore on November 18, 2023. (Photo by Arif ALI / AFP)
Pakistan's Supreme Court, led by Justice Sardar Tariq Masood and including Justices Yahya Afridi and Ayesha Malik, will hear a Constitutional petition on December 1. The petition aims to stop the forced deportation of Afghan citizens, as reported by local media on Sunday.
Earlier this month, an appeal was submitted to the apex court seeking a restraining order against the forceful deportation of Afghan nationals from Pakistan.
However, according to the Express Tribune, the Supreme Court's registrar's office initially rejected the plea, citing a lack of specificity regarding questions of public importance related to fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution.
The petition was filed on behalf of several Pakistani senators and human rights activists, who implored the apex court to restrain the federal government and state institutions from detaining, deporting, or otherwise harassing individuals possessing documents such as PoR (proof of residence), ACC (Afghan Citizen Card), asylum-seeker applications issued by UNHCR.
Furthermore, the petition urged a directive be issued mandating the federal government not to detain, forcefully deport, or otherwise harass individuals born in Pakistan with claims to birthright citizenship, following Section 4 of the Citizenship Act, 1951, and the ruling of the Islamabad High Court in the 2021 case of Hafiz Hamdullah Saboor.
The petitioners' counsel argued that the“impugned directive” from the caretaker cabinet's“apex committee” contradicts Pakistan's long-standing policy of hospitality towards Afghan refugees and migrants for 45 years. They called for the federal government to allow UNHCR and its partners to expedite and decide on asylum applications from foreigners residing in Pakistan.
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