LHC stays govt order to deport Pak-Turk school staff

Seeks interior ministry’s response on January 13

LAHORE/KARACHI: As Turkish teachers and staff working in Pak-Turk schools leave for their country following government’s decision to not extend their visas, the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday stopped the deportation of at least 107 instructors from Pakistan.

The government’s decision coincided with the recent visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Islamabad during which he addressed a joint session of the National Assembly.

Justice Shams Mehmood Mirza of the LHC directed the Ministry of Interior to submit its reply in the court on January 13.

“[As many as] 11,000 students in the country will be affected by the removal of Turkish Foundation schools...it is a violation of fundamental rights... to take away the students’ right of getting education,” advocate Asma Jahangir argued in the petition.



The court also directed the petitioners to formally request the interior ministry for extension of their visas.

The order came days after the Peshawar High Court stayed the ‘abrupt’ deportation of Turkish teachers and their families in Hayatabad, restraining the federal government from taking any action against them.

SHC decision

Following the Lahore High Court’s decision, the Sindh High Court (SHC) Hyderabad circuit bench also restrained the federal government from taking action against staff members of Pak-Turk schools in Hyderabad and Jamshoro districts.

Meanwhile, the closure of Pak-Turk schools has consistently been demanded by the Turkish government, which claims they are backed by the Gülen-inspired Hizmet movement.