PHC moved to get illegal Afghan refugees deported

PESHAWAR: A petition was moved on Friday in the Peshawar High Court (PHC) seeking an order for the federal and provincial governments to deport illegal Afghan refugees. The court was prayed to direct the respondents to restrict the movements of Afghan refugees and those doing businesses without a license, permit or lawful authority may also be stopped from such economic activity. The federal government through secretary Minister of Interior, Ministry of Defence through secretary, Ministry of States and Frontier Regions through the secretary, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Home Department, Commissioner Afghan refugees Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Inspector General of Police KP were made parties to the petition which was filed by Muhammad Muazzam Butt advocate.

It was submitted in the petition that consequent to 1979 when the Soviet-Afghan war started, millions of Afghan refugees fled the country and came to Pakistan as refugees.

Since long Afghan citizens have retained freedom, hence they were required to return to homeland. However, they chose not to do so which has resulted into multi-dimensional law and order situation in Pakistan, opined the petitioner.

He said that Pakistan had failed to take a firm position, as how to resume the social order that existed prior to 1979.

The petitioner said a large number of terrorist activities have taken place since then, adding the citizens of Pakistan have fundamental rights to life, liberty, security and property and government of Pakistan is not acting in the required manner to address the issue.

The petitioner said being concerned as a citizen, and aggrieved in witnessing the loss of life to his sister-in-law in the APS incident and thousands of others, he invoked the jurisdiction of Peshawar High court Under Article 199 of the Constitution and filed the petition on various grounds.

He said almost every country of the world the foreigners can conduct businesses only if they are granted work permits.

In that regard, he said, this court may be required to determine under which authority the Afghan refugees were conducting business in Pakistan without any legal permits, causing adverse effect to the economy of Pakistan and compelling the citizens of this country to live in poverty.

It said that the respondents were under legal obligations to streamline the life of Afghan refugees in Pakistan, in order to protect the life, liberty and property of its actual citizens; whereas they have miserably failed to do so.

It said that although the National Action Plan was brought into writing by the government but it neither restricted the Afghan refugees nor implemented the existing laws of the country to control unlawful movement, assembly and business activities of Afghan refugees, more so many Afghan refugees have procured fake national identity cards from Nadra and have registered themselves even in the voter lists as well as trade organizations.

“The life, liberty, security and property of our citizens, children women and others are always felt at stake and they don’t feel protected. It is therefore humbly prayed that the respondents may be directed to regulate the life of Afghan refugees in Pakistan according to the law and they may be directed to restrict movement and restrain business of Afghan refugees, in absence of legal licenses or work permits,” the petitioner prayed before the court.