ISLAMABAD, Dec 23: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) here on Tuesday dismissed the petition of 39 Afghan refugees residing in the federal capital and seeking citizenship of Pakistan on non-prosecution as nobody appeared in the court to pursue the case.

IHC Chief Justice Sardar Mohammad Aslam dismissed the petition of the refugees as they did not follow their case in the court. The petitioner had been demanding Pakistani citizenship on the ground that they had been living in Pakistan for the last over 30 years as they had left Afghanistan due to law and order situation and extreme weather conditions.

Making Ministry of Interior through its secretary and chief commissioner Islamabad as respondents the petitioner had maintained that they had established their business in this country and their children had been getting education here. They said they had been registered as refugees with the UNCHR and they had been contributing to the progress of this country.

They had also stated that they filed an application with the Ministry of Interior seeking citizenship but got no response and later they moved Islamabad chief commissioner but to no avail.

Meanwhile Justice Sajjad Qureshi of the IHC put off the hearing in the case of a female candidate who was denied admission in a private medical college till second week of January for the arguments after the respondents submitted their written response with the court.

Shereen Mehtab the petitioner moved the court making Shifa College of Medicines and Pakistan Medical and Dental Association (PMDC) as respondents and said she appeared in the entry test of the Shifa College and got through the test but her name did not appear in the final list.