The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has stopped the deportation of two Afghan journalists residing in Pakistan and directed the federal government to decide their cases within 60 days.

The court, in its written judgement, directed the federal government and relevant authorities not to arrest or deport the petitioners, Syed Ehsanullah Salehi and Syed Munir Ahmed, during the 60-day period.

The court ruled that if the federal government fails to decide their cases within the stipulated period, the secretary of the Ministry of Interior must issue temporary permits to the two journalists.

According to the petitioners, both are Afghan journalists who entered Pakistan legally on visas and are currently residing in the country.

They told the court that they had applied for resettlement in France in 2026 and that their applications were currently under consideration. The French embassy has already validated their cases, according to the petitioners.

Their lawyer argued that despite their legal status in Pakistan, the two journalists remained at risk of arrest and deportation, restricting their freedom of movement and their ability to access hospitals and other medical facilities.

In its written decision, the PHC noted that directions had previously been issued to the federal government in the case of Briale Miankhel and others vs Federation. However, the court observed that the federal government had yet to take a decision in similar cases pending before it.

The court held that since the petitioners’ applications for resettlement in a third country, France, were pending, the federal government was required to decide the matter within 60 days.

Until then, the authorities have been restrained from arresting or deporting the two Afghan journalists to Afghanistan.