LAHORE - The federal government Wednesday assured the Lahore High Court that it would not deport the Turkish national teachers and students of PakTurk International Schools.

During the proceedings, Attorney General Ashtar Ausaf appeared in the court and said that Turkish national teachers and students had moved applications to the United Nations to declare them refugees. He said the government before the decision of the UN would not deport them to Turkey.

After the reply of the federal government, Justice Syed Mazahar Ali Akbar of the LHC disposed of the petitions.

Mehmet Ali Seker and others had filed the petitions and submitted that they had been living in Pakistan against ‘NGO’ category and respect the law and had clean record. They said that interior ministry had refused to extend their visas and did not disclose any reason.

They said some of the petitioners and their families had valid visas till first month of 2017 but even then they were ordered to be deported. The ministry said that it all was the result of domestic politics of Turkey while their foundation’s registration had also been cancelled after promulgating a new Companies Ordinance of 2016, they said.

The government tactfully was taking the matter of their foundation to close it down. They requested the court that the ministry be ordered not to deport them and their families and also order it to restrain from deporting the Turkish national members of the foundation.