The chartered flight, scheduled for November 4 from Radom to Frankfurt and onward to Islamabad, was called off following a complaint from the Rule of Law Institute, a member of Frontex’s Consultative Forum.
The group warned the agency the operation could violate international refugee protections.
At issue was Poland’s alleged failure to evaluate whether the deportees faced persecution if returned to Pakistan.
According to the institute, Polish authorities refused to accept both oral and written asylum applications from the Pakistani nationals, potentially breaching the international non-refoulement principle, which prohibits returning individuals to countries where they may face danger.
Frontex has previously cooperated with Poland on eight deportation operations this year, three involving Pakistani nationals.
While the agency had not objected to Poland’s asylum and deportation practices in the past—including controversial restrictions at the Belarusian border—it opted to suspend the latest flight to assess the raised concerns more thoroughly.
(jh)
Source: PAP, Dziennik Gazeta Prawna