LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Friday questioned the maintainability of a petition challenging the federal government decision for deportation of Afghan refugees and granted time to the petitioner’s lawyer to prepare his arguments.

Justice Farooq Haider heard the petition filed by a lawyer, Mohib Qazi.

During the hearing, the judge questioned the maintainability of the petition, asking how the case could be heard when it was based on a press release only.

The judge inquired whether a press statement could be legally challenged before the court.

The petitioner failed to provide a satisfactory response to the court’s query.

The judge granted the petitioner additional time to present arguments regarding the maintainability of the petition. He adjourned the hearing for a date after Eid holidays.

The petitioner stated that the decision to deport Afghan refugees should be annulled. He alleged that the government plan to forcibly expel Afghan refugees would add to their plight.

The government had issued a March 31 deadline to oust Afghan nationals from the cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi for their deportation.

Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2025