ISLAMABAD: The Islam­abad High Court (IHC) on Thu­rsday rejected the plea seeking an extension of visas for the Turkish teaching and administrative staff emp­loy­ed by the Pak-Turk Educa­tional Foundation in Pakistan.

Disposing of the petition filed by Alamgir Khan, chairman of the Pak-Turk Educa­tion Foundation, and Turkish citizens Ramazan Arslan and Murat Ervan, the court direc­ted the petitioners to app­roach the ministry of interior to grant the Turkish nationals reasonable time to shift to their country. IHC Justice Aamer Farooq told the interior ministry to decide the matter in two days.

Ahead of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Pakistan, the interior ministry gave ‘marching orders’ to around 70 teaching and administrative foreign staff members of the Pak-Turk Educational Foundation.

Pakistan had earlier assured Turkey that it would look into the affairs of the Pak-Turk Educational Network that Ankara wanted shut down for its alleged links with Turkish scholar Fethullah Gulen, a political rival of the Turkish president.

On Thursday, President Erdogan and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif addressed a joint press conference in Islamabad where the Turkish leader termed the Fethullah Terror Organisation (Feto) a threat to the security of Pakistan.

At the hearing on Thursday, Hafiz S.A. Rehman, counsel for the petitioner, told the court that the government had asked Turkish employees working at Pak-Turk schools to return to their country by Nov 20.

According to the petition, the interior ministry had informed the Foundation on Nov 11 that the request for a visa extension had been considered but not acceded to. They were not given a reason why the visas had not been extended, the petition added.

On Nov 14, the ministry directed the Turkish staff to leave the country before Nov 20.

Mr Alamgir told the court that the schools were not a part of Gulen’s network but were inspired by his ideology.

The petitioners had requested the court to allow the expatriate staff, teachers and their family members to continue with their teaching and administration assignments in Pakistan till the end of the academic session.

Justice Farooq remarked that “every independent government could expel any person if he or she is undesirable”.

The judge pointed out that Mr Alamgir was not an aggrieved person and, therefore, did not have the locus standi (right to speak) in the matter of the expulsion of Turkish staff members.

Justice Farooq asked whether the visas were valid, to which the counsel for the petitioners replied that the foreigner staff had applied for an extension of visas in June this year, but the interior ministry had kept it pending till they expired. The ministry had then asked them to pack up and leave.

At this, the judge directed Abdul Khaliq Thind, the standing counsel, to summon the relevant officers from the ministry.

Salman Qayyum, joint secretary of the interior ministry, Deputy Secretary Naila Zafar and Visa Officer Mohammad Hafeez appeared in court.

They told the judge that the visas had expired in August and the interior ministry had turned down the request for an extension the same month. They said the staff members had been asked to leave the country and in November, they were again reminded to exit the country by Nov 20.

The petitioners’ counsel requested the court to grant the expatriates reasonable time as it was difficult for over 400 family members of the 70 expatriate staff members to leave Pakistan overnight.

Justice Farooq told them to approach the interior ministry for an extension.

Published in Dawn, November 18th, 2016