Court seeks verified report on Turk family’s deportation

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court Monday asked a federal government’s counsel to verify reports about deportation of former vice-president of Pak-Turk Schools and his family. 

Justice Shams Mahmood Mirza was hearing a petition against alleged abduction of Mr Mesut Kacmaz, his wife and two daughters. As the hearing started, the petitioner’s counsel Advocate Usama Malik stated that counsel Asma Jahangir was not available due to her other engagements. 

Citing media reports, he pointed out that the abducted family had been deported to Turkey by the Pakistani authorities. However, on court’s query, a deputy attorney general showed complete ignorance about the deportation of the Turkish family.

Justice Mirza deferred the hearing for a day and directed the law officer to come up after seeking instruction from the government on the latest development. A friend of the abducted family, Mr Orhan Uygun had filed the petition saying Mr Kacmaz was abducted from Wapda Town residence along with his wife and two daughters. The court had restrained the government from deporting Mr Kacmaz and his family until decision of the case. The petitioner’s counsel submitted that the government through attorney general had undertaken before the court last year that the Turkish employees of the Pak-Turk School would not be deported until November 24, 2017.

However, he said Mr Kacmaz and his family had been abducted by unidentified persons from their house and there was likelihood that they would soon be deported in violation of the court order. He said the police were also reluctant to register a case of the abduction. He asked the court to restrain the government from possible deportation of Turkish educationists and also place their names on Exit Control List (ECL).