Revealed: 'Missing' former PakTurk School principal, family deported on Oct 14

Despite court's stay order, family forcibly sent to Istanbul on an 'unmarked' flight from Islamabad

LAHORE: A Turkish family affiliated with Pak-Turk Schools and abducted from their house in WAPDA Town a few days back has reportedly been deported to Turkey.

The victims were deported from Islamabad on a special aeroplane on October 14 (Saturday).

The Lahore High Court, while hearing a habeas corpus petition against the disappearance of Mesut Kacmez, his wife, and daughters Huda, 17, and Fatma, 14, had ordered the government of Pakistan not to deport the victims and put their names on the Exit Control List (ECL). The next hearing of the case was scheduled for Monday (today).

The victim’s family was living in Pakistan under an asylum seeker certificate issued by UNHCR, which was valid until November 24, 2017.

Former regional director of Pak-Turk schools Orhan Agyun told The Express Tribune that the daughters of Kacmez called them and narrated how the deportations were conducted.

Quoting the girls, he said the family was flown out on a Turkish Airlines jet from Islamabad. “There were Turkish police officers on the plane and the victims were handed over to them,” he said.



Turkish authorities have taken the couple into custody, while the children are living with their grandparents, Agyun said. He added that the girls were fine, but “the girls told us Turkish police officers tortured them while going back”.

Agyun further said that they had other evidence with them that proved the victims have been deported, which they will share in court.

Mehmut Ali Serker, another former Pak-Turk principal, confirmed that according to their information, the victim’s family has been deported. He said that one of Kacmez’s daughters had been in contact with his daughter.

Agyun said they never expected the government of Pakistan would deport Kacmez. The matter was in litigation and the court had forbidden the government from deporting them. Their names were on the Exit Control List as well. “This is a constitutional and democratic state and in a democratic state, courts and laws have powers,” he said, adding, “It was illegal.”

Orhan said that despite this incident, they will continue with the case in court.