Asylum in International Refugee Law: A Comparative Analysis of the Responses of Pakistan and Türkiye Asylum Influxes

Abstract

This research paper focuses on how the policies and laws of Pakistan guide individuals who want asylum in the country and how this is contrasted with the regulated asylum system in Turkey. Crossing Afghanistan and other nationalities, Pakistan, which accommodates a great number of refugees, has to have an official asylum legal framework; otherwise, the country resorts to administrative approaches, which leads to ambiguity in the juridical framework and the inability to have access to freedom and rights (education, health, and employment). In the meantime, Turkey has adopted the Law on Foreigners and International Protection (LFIP), which offers a more systematic approach to determining refugee status, interim protection of the Syrians, and access to the welfare system and the labour market. The studies examine the asylum system, legal, political and social problems in Pakistan, the threats to the women refugees and the burden on the host community. Moreover, this study outlines concepts that Pakistan can borrow from the administrative and legislative practices adopted in the country, such as the enactment of laws, development of institutions, encouragement of gender-based policies, and expansion of regional integration. It contributes to our understanding of the management of asylum by outlining the weaknesses in the international law and domestic practice, as well as providing useful proposals on how to reform the Pakistan refugee system.