ISLAMABAD:
The Supreme Court (SC) accepted on Wednesday the constitutional petition seeking restraining order against forced deportation of Afghan citizens.
Justice Yahya Afridi in his order said that the objections raised by Registrar Office were legal in nature “and same be addressed by a court of law”. The petition was later allotted a number.
The petitioners’ counsel, Umer Gilani, has moved an application seeking early hearing of the matter.
Earlier in November, a petition was filed before the apex court seeking a restraining order against the forceful deportation of Afghan nationals from Pakistan.
The petition sought a restraining order on forceful deportation or harassment of anyone born in Pakistan and having a claim to birthright citizenship in accordance with section 4 of the Citizenship Act, 1951 and ruling of the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
Read Deportation pushing Pak-Afghan ties to the edge
Former senator Farhatullah Babar and other petitioners urged the apex court’s Registrar Office to allot a case number and schedule a date for a hearing.
However, the office refused to entertain the petition.
Govt crackdown
The federal government initiated a crackdown against “undocumented” Afghan nationals – essentially persons seeking refuge in the country and awaiting legal formalities.
Since November 1, 2023, the state has begun a campaign to forcibly evict around 1.3 million such persons under the garb of addressing the issue of “illegal migrants” on whom it has placed the burden of the country’s worsening economic and security concerns.
Source: tribune.com.pk
