The Islamabad High Court has issued a stay order to stop the government’s process of sending 18 Afghan citizens back home.
Chief Justice Sarfaraz Dogar, while issuing a stay order on the request of the Afghan citizens, clarified that no action should be taken against them until the next hearing.
The court order stated that the government cancelled the POR cards of the petitioning Afghan citizens and ordered their deportation. However, according to their lawyer, these individuals belong to the family of the late Fazlur Rehman, who had applied for Pakistani citizenship in 2008 after fulfilling the legal requirements.
The lawyer told the court that the citizenship application has been pending for the past several years, and during this time, the deportation process against these individuals is not only unfair but also legally inappropriate.
The court has made the Ministry of Interior, NADRA, FIA and the police parties in this matter and ordered them to submit their responses by September 18. The Chief Justice remarked that until a final decision is taken on the citizenship application, the legal process and human rights of these citizens should be taken into account.
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