ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday reserved its order on the maintainability of the petition filed against expelling three Filipino missionary workers, including two principals of Islamabad convent schools.

The petition was filed by Bishop Roman Catholic Diocese through advocate Rana Abid Nazir Khan.

IHC Justice Aamir Farooq, while hearing the petition, asked the counsel why the petition was filed by the bishop instead of the aggrieved missionary workers.

The interior ministry on June 16 ordered the missionary workers, Miraflor Aclan Bahan, principal Islamabad Convent School Sector F-8, Delia Coyoca Rubio principal Islamabad Convent Sector H-8 and Elizabeth Umail Siguenza, finance officer of H-8 Convent School, to leave the country within 15 days.

The letter issued in this regard stated that since they were issued visa for missionary work therefore they could not be employed anywhere.

The petition claimed that Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan because of some personal grudges with one of the principals issued the expulsion order.

According to the petition, the wife of interior minister was working as teacher in Islamabad Convent a few years back where Miraflor Aclan Bahan was the principal.

It said the interior minister’s wife developed some dispute with the said principal and ultimately she resigned even without giving the three months notice to the administration.

The petition contended that as many as 42 schools in Pakistan are being run by the local and foreign missionary workers.

It said that both F-8 and H-8 Convent Schools were established in 1992 and were imparting education to 4,000 students.

The petition further stated that in May this year, the directorate general of immigration and passport of the interior ministry had extended visas of these three missionary workers for a period of two years but in the following month of June their visas have been cancelled and they were asked to leave Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2015

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