SHC reserves ruling on Turkish teachers' deportation

Foreigners request extension of stay order till they get visas for other countries

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) reserved on Monday its verdict on a petition against the deportation of Turkish nationals teaching at the Pak-Turk school chain run by United States-based cleric Fethullah Gulen.

A two-judge bench, headed by Justice Munib Akhtar, reserved the order after hearing arguments from Additional Attorney General (AAG) Salman Talibuddin and the lawyer representing the parents, students and teachers of the Pak-Turk Schools against their deportation from the country on the request of the Turkish government.

Ankara had requested Islamabad to close down the Pak-Turk Schools run by Gulen, who had been accused of instigating a coup attempt in Turkey in July last year. In November, the interior ministry ordered the Turkish staff of the educational network to leave Pakistan, rejecting their applications for extension of visas. After this decision by the Centre, parents of the students of Pak-Turk Schools approached the court, which has granted a stay against the deportation of the Turkish staff ever since.



Making a surprising statement, the attorney general had, in March, informed the court that the Turkish teachers were being deported after they were found being involved in terrorism activities in Pakistan.

In his arguments, the AAG said the visas granted to the Turkish teachers have expired, therefore, their stay in Pakistan is illegal. Defending the deportation order, he argued that the government has the authority to deport any foreigner. He requested the court to vacate its stay against deportation and dismiss the petition as it lacks merit.

On the other hand, the petitioners' lawyer, Abdul Hameed Khoso, said the Pak-Turk Foundation was a non-profit, non-governmental organisation that has nothing to do with the politics of Pakistan or Turkey. He argued that the deportation order would hurt the interests of 11,000 students studying in the schools.



He said the Turkish teachers had applied for an extension in their visas but the government, instead of granting the extension, ordered the staff to leave the country.

He maintained that the Pak-Turk schools provide inexpensive but high-quality education. "Therefore, the decision to deport the teachers will harm the future of the students of [Pak-Turk] schools," he contended.

The Turkish teachers informed the judges that they had applied to America, Canada and other countries for visas, as they could not return to their own country. They pleaded to the court to continue its stay against their deportation until visas are granted to them by these countries.



After hearing arguments from both sides, the bench reserved its judgment to be announced at a later date.