Judicial officers updated on current status of refugees

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Judicial Academy (KPJA), Peshawar, UNHCR and the SHARP jointly arranged a day-long workshop on the legal framework and refugees’ status in Pakistan.About 25 judicial magistrates/illaqa qazis of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa participated in the workshop.

The primary objectives of the workshop were to update the KP judicial officers on the current status of refugees in Pakistan and to apprise them of the relevant administrative notifications, including the 1951 Convention and its Protocols, Section 14, Foreigners Act, and durable solutions. The workshop was also aimed at fostering a common understanding among judicial officers to facilitate refugees in their legal issues in the court.

KPJA Director General Jehanzeb Shinwari presided over the inaugural ceremony while Dean Faculty Ziaur Rehman, Senior Director Research and Publications Dr Qazi Attaullah, Director Instructions Faryal Zia Mufti, Director Instructions Hina Khan, representatives of SHARP, UNHCR and the directors and officers of the academy attended the workshop.

The KPJA DG welcomed the participants and praised the efforts of SHARP and UNHCR for organising the workshop for judges/Qazis.He said that the judiciary played a critical role in upholding and protecting the rights and interests of vulnerable populations, including refugees.

KPJA DG also highlighted that around the globe, over 120 million people were forced to flee their homes due to persecution, conflicts, violence, human rights violations or events of generalized violence, and disturbing public order. Amongst these forced migrants, nearly 43.4 million were refugees, around 40 percent of whom were under the age of 18 years.

He stated that Pakistan bearing the burden of Afghan refugees for over four decades. Since 1979, he added Pakistan had generously sheltered over 1.35 million Afghan refugees.However, he said, the ongoing instability in Afghanistan had made voluntary repatriation a distant dream for many.