Pakistan's Peshawar HC suspends deportation of 100 Afghan musicians

A high court in Peshawar has stopped the forcible deportation of over 100 Afghan musicians seeking political asylum in Pakistan and directed the federal government to decide their cases in two months.

A two-member bench of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) disposed of the case after hearing arguments on Friday and instructed security agencies not to take any action against them during the two months.

The bench headed by Justice Waqar Ahmad gave the judgement during the hearing of the petition filed by Hashmatullah who argued they belonged to Afghanistan but migrated to Pakistan after the establishment of the Taliban government as their lives were under threat.

The petitioner argued they had already lost their livelihoods and in Pakistan, they faced further harassment and threats of forced deportation, which they asserted is a violation of human rights.

They argued that under international laws, the Pakistani government cannot forcibly deport them.

The petitioner's lawyer Mumtaz Ahmad and Assistant Attorney General Rahat Ali Naqvi, representing the federal government, were present in court.

The bench concluded the petitions and directed the federal government or its designated officers to decide on the Afghan musicians' asylum applications within two months.

Additionally, the order said Afghan musicians can apply for asylum with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The order said that if their cases remain undecided within two months, the federal secretary of the interior should allow them to stay in Pakistan temporarily under a policy framework.