Detained in Pakistan: Managing legal complexity under extreme pressure
A refugee family’s planned departure from Pakistan was disrupted by their unexpected detention by the local police and the threat of deportation. Our ground team responded immediately to support both the affected family and the broader movement.
Challenge
In the wake of a nationwide crackdown on suspected illegal migrants, our Humanitarian Assistance team coordinated the response to the detention by Pakistani police of a family of refugees from Afghanistan. While travelling to Islamabad without the protection of our ground team, a family was stopped by police. Their documentation was checked but did not satisfy the police’s criteria for release.
They were subsequently held at a detention camp in Islamabad under threat of deportation. The refugees contacted their case managers, who activated Healix: our Coordinators tasked our ground team to visit the detention camp. The ground team worked with the local consular services to ensure the official paperwork was retrieved and presented to the local magistrate, who subsequently authorised their release into the ground team’s custody.
Approach
With an unofficial 24-hour ‘grace’ period after arrest, and uncertainty about when the clock started, fast action was essential. We successfully negotiated a complex and volatile political-legal situation, delivering the official travel documents to prove the refugee family’s legal status, ensuring their release.
Once released, we secured safe hotel accommodation and provided meals until their departure flights could be booked. We moved the family to the airport to complete the final part of their journey.
Outcome
We delivered immediate practical help by providing legal travels documents to the family, liaising with our client, our ground team and the local consular officials. This case reflects our ability to act fast, adapt to legal complexity, and stay focused on the people behind the plan - even when everything changes.