PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has barred the authorities from deporting two Afghan journalists from Pakistan and directed the federal government to determine their cases within 60 days.
The court issued a written judgment on petitions filed by Afghan journalists Syed Ehsanullah Salehi and Syed Munir Ahmad, who are currently residing in Pakistan on legal visas.
According to the judgment, the petitioners said they had applied for resettlement in France in 2026 and that their applications were still under consideration. The French Embassy had already verified their cases, they told the court.
The journalists’ counsel argued that despite their lawful stay in Pakistan, the petitioners feared arrest and deportation to Afghanistan. Because of the fear of deportation, they were unable to move freely and faced difficulties in accessing hospitals and other medical facilities, according to the court order.
The court noted that it had previously issued directions to the federal government in the case of Baryalay Mian Khail and others vs Federation concerning similar matters.
The judgment observed that the federal government had yet to make a decision in cases pending before the court, including those involving applicants awaiting resettlement in a third country, France.
The court directed the federal government to examine and decide the petitioners’ cases within 60 days. It further ordered the federal government and relevant agencies not to arrest the petitioners during this period and directed that they should not be deported to Afghanistan.
The court also ordered that if the federal government was unable to reach a decision within the stipulated 60-day period, the Secretary of the Ministry of Interior should issue temporary permission allowing the petitioners to remain in Pakistan.
The judgment effectively provides the two Afghan journalists temporary protection from arrest and deportation while their cases are reviewed by the federal authorities.
