PESHAWAR: Peshawar High Court has stopped deportation of an Afghan refugee married to a Pakistani woman, and directed National Database and Registration Authority to decide his case regarding issuance of Pakistan Origin Card (POC).
A bench consisting of Justice Wiqar Ahmad and Justice Kamran Hayat Miankhel disposed of a petition jointly filed by a Pakistani national, Ms Husna, and her Afghan husband, Masood Khan, seeking directives for the government to issue the POC to him.
“Since the second petitioner is a family member of Pakistani nationals, therefore he shall not be deported till Nadra decides his case for grant of POC,” the bench ruled.
The bench also directed the petitioners to apply for registration of their Nikahnama with the village council concerned whose secretary should issue the said certificate on verifying that the nikah had actually taken place and that the nikahnama was not a mere paperwork.
In such circumstances, they said Afghan husbands—despite being eligible for POC by virtue of marriage to Pakistani citizens and having children — were being subjected to deportation and harassment while their POC applications remained pending due to lengthy and cumbersome security clearance processes.
The lawyers also referred to international human rights law, arguing that Pakistan, being a signatory to international conventions such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, was obliged to ensure that family life was not disrupted arbitrarily.
They said that deporting Afghan husbands of Pakistani women with Pakistani children amounted to violation of these fundamental rights.
Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2025