KARACHI, Feb 15: The federal government has decided to withdraw all cases pending against Afghan refugees under the Foreigners Act 1947 and such prisoners would soon be released from all the jails of the country, Sindh High Court was informed on Wednesday.

SHC’s division bench, comprising Justice Ghulam Rabbani and Justice Zia Pervaiz, was hearing a petition, questioning arrest and detention of Afghan refugees under the said act.

The court was told by the standing counsel, Ziauddin Nasir, that the government had decided to withdraw all cases registered against Afghan refugees under the Foreigners Act and all prisoners, arrested under the said Act, would be released soon.

After the statement by the federal attorney, the petitioner submitted that the main purpose of the petition had been served and desired to withdraw the same. The bench allowed his request and disposed of the matter.

Petitioner’s counsel Zia Ahmed Awan and Ms Tayyaba Mehar had taken a plea that a tripartite agreement had been reached by the government of Pakistan, the then transitional government of Afghanistan and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees under which Pakistan had guaranteed safety of Afghan citizens on Pakistan soil.

In the light of a notification, Afghan refugees were legally allowed to earn their livelihood outside refugees camps in Pakistan to support themselves, as well as their families.

It stated that since movement and presence of these refugees outside their camps had been declared legitimate, they fell outside the scope of the Foreigners Act, hence cases registered under this act against them are illegal and liable to be quashed.

Petition dismissed: The Sindh High Court on Wednesday dismissed a petition against forfeiture of a weekly magazine after withdrawal by its publisher.

Suleman, a publisher of weekly magazine “Zarbe Momin” patronized by the Al-Rasheed Trust, moved against the Sindh home department for issuing orders for forfeiture of copies of the magazine of Aug 5 without adopting any due process of law—PPI