Govt barred from deporting Turkish teachers

LAHORE

The Lahore High Court restrained the government from deporting Turkish national teachers of Pak-Turk International Schools and sought a reply from ministry of interior on the matter.

Justice Shams Mahmood Mirza passed the interim order on a writ petition filed by Mehmet Ali Seker and other teachers associated with the Pak-Turk Education Foundation.

Advocate Asma Jahangir argued before the court that the petitioners had been lawfully residing in Pakistan against “NGO” category visas abiding by the laws of the country having clean and unblemished record. She said the interior ministry declined to extend visas of the petitioners without disclosing any reason.

Asma Jahangir said the ministry ordered deportation of the petitioners and other Turkish national employees of the foundation.

Some of the petitioners and their families possessing valid visas till first month of 2017 were also ordered to be deported, the counsel added.

Asma Jahangir argued that the ministry was planning a smooth takeover of the foundation in favour of a different organisation owing to domestic politics in Turkey.

She said the government also cancelled registration of the foundation by promulgating a new Companies Ordinance of 2016.

She argued that the acts of the government amounted to indirectly winding up the foundation without any legal course and consent of its directors.

She pointed out that Peshawar High Court had already granted a stay against any punitive action against the members of the foundation in Pakistan.

Asma Jahangir pleaded that the petitioners and their families could not be deported until they were afforded an ample opportunity of hearing. She asked the court to restrain the ministry from deporting the Turkish national members of the foundation.

Justice Mirza granted the petitioners a stay against coercive measures by the government, including deportation.

The judge sought a detailed reply from the interior ministry on the matter by January 17.