PHC allows Turkish teachers to file fresh petition

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Monday allowed Turkish teachers and staff at Pak-Turk International Schools and Colleges to withdraw the writ petition and file a fresh one with certain documents as they are seeking asylum in other countries through United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to avoid prosecution in Turkey.

The petitioners' lawyer Qazi Muhammad Anwar informed a division bench comprising Justice Syed Afsar Shah and Justice Younas Thaheem that he is going to withdraw the petition to file another one with important documents.

The court accepted the plea after the deputy attorney general did not raise any objection to withdrawal of the case to file a fresh one. Attorney General of Pakistan Ashtar Ausaf Ali appeared before the court in the case.

Deputy Attorney General Musarratullah told The News with the withdrawal of the petition, the high court's stay order was automatically recalled and now the government may deport the Turkish nationals immediately as they were wanted by the Turkish government.

However, the petitioners, including Shah Muhammad told The News that the federal government cannot forcibly deport the Turkish citizens as they have got the UNHCR Asylum Certificates and their cases were under process.

"We are going to file another petition within three days," he claimed. "Due to serious threats to life of Turkish citizens, the United Nations (UN) issued asylum certificates to them and is trying to settle them in another country," he told The News. He said that Pakistan, being a signatory member nation of the UN, cannot deport the Turkish citizens.

At the previous hearing, the Interior Ministry had submitted reply to the PHC. It had said it was the prerogative of the federal government to extend or cancel visas of the foreign nationals, requesting the court to dismiss the writ petitions.

"Cancelling or extending visas of the Turkish staff is part of the country's foreign policy and now the government has issued them exit permits," the ministry added in the reply. There are 1,500 staff members, including 110 Turkish nationals, at these institutions.