PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has directed law enforcement agencies to stop harassing Afghan refugees holding Proof of Registration (POR) cards.
The order came during a hearing on a petition challenging the deportation of POR cardholders. Justice Waqar Ahmed issued a three-page written decision, instructing authorities to comply.
Representatives from the Deputy Attorney General’s office, the Ministry of Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, and the Frontier Region Islamabad informed the court that no decision had been made to deport POR cardholders.
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Officials clarified that POR cards remain valid until June 30, 2025, and only illegal Afghan refugees are being deported. However, the court noted that even legal refugees were facing harassment.
The PHC emphasized that the government had permitted POR cardholders to stay until the deadline and ordered all federal and provincial agencies to follow the law.