Asylum revoked for the president of the Pakistani Community in Greece, Javed Aslam

Everything began on Monday morning, when the Ministry released an update that, at first reading, appeared purely “technocratic” and focused on how many asylum revocations had been initiated in recent years, and how these have intensified particularly following Mr. Plevris’ directives. According to this announcement, in just the past two weeks, the asylum revocation process has been initiated for 33 third-country nationals, originating from countries such as Syria, Pakistan, Egypt, and Iraq.

In practice, this means that a chapter which had remained open for years—administratively, judicially, politically—is closing, and a new one begins: the return to Pakistan.

Regarding the procedure, a formal notice has been sent in which the Ministry’s Asylum Service informs him of the revocation of his status and invites him, within 15 working days as prescribed by law, to submit any objections in writing for evaluation before the final decision is issued. If he challenges the decision, his case will then be reviewed at the second level.

The revocation of Javed Aslam’s international protection falls within the line of policy the Ministry has recently pursued under Mr. Plevris’ guidance.

The same pattern was seen in a recent case reported by protothema.gr, when the asylum of a Palestinian individual was revoked after video evidence emerged showing him celebrating Hamas’ massacres and posing for photos with Ismail Haniyeh.

For that specific case, the European Jewish Union formally expressed its gratitude to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Migration and Asylum, and the head of the Asylum Service, Mario Kalea.

Meanwhile, Aslam’s case is not the only one to attract public attention: among the 33 cases mentioned by the Ministry is a 20-year-old Iraqi who had attacked a driver on the Athens metro and resisted police forces attempting to arrest him last October.

Who is Javed Aslam

Javed Aslam is a well-known figure for those following developments on migration. He has repeatedly appeared on television programs, spoken about Pakistanis living in Greece, and commented on political and social issues, often in ways that provoked reactions.

In a previous interview, Aslam stated that he has been in Greece for approximately 30 years, holds a degree in political science, lives in an Athens neighborhood with his wife and adult daughter, and has served as the elected president of the Pakistani community in Greece, “Unity,” since 2005, representing, by his own account, tens of thousands of Pakistanis.

In 2019, he was seen alongside Dimitris Vitsas when the then Minister of Migration Policy promised citizenship to Pakistanis living in Greece.

At the same time, Aslam has repeatedly sparked controversy with statements during the same period, such as referring to attacks on migrants during an anti-racist rally, warning that “migrants also have hands and can one day respond to threats they receive.”

In 2021, he publicly thanked the Greek state for operating the mosque in Votanikos but added: “I would like there to be a minaret, to show our presence. We are not invisible.”

In an interview last year, he stated that the Pakistani community requests one mosque per 300–400 migrants, claiming that there are approximately 500,000 Muslims in Greece, which would require the construction of over 1,000 mosques.

Reports also suggest that he has appeared in video footage discussing, within a religious framework, issues such as cousin marriage and referring to Sharia law as a “rule” that, according to his view, should be applied even in Greece, although he has never formally requested such implementation.

However, Javed Aslam has a history that has drawn the attention of Greek authorities and the judiciary due to prosecutions and charges filed against him in Pakistan.

Following internal disputes and complaints within the Pakistani community, he filed a legal report regarding kidnappings/disappearances of Pakistanis in Athens. Subsequently, in 2006, he was arrested due to an outstanding “red notice” warrant and an extradition request from Pakistan to Greece on charges of human trafficking.

The Pakistani embassy in Greece even maintained an Interpol document from 2015 on its website listing Javed Aslam among the most wanted.

A few months later, Greek courts unanimously rejected Pakistan’s extradition request, determining that the alleged acts fell under “fraudulent incitement to migrate” and were of a misdemeanor nature. Specifically, the Court of Cassation rejected the appeal of the Athens Prosecutor against the refusal to extradite him to Pakistan.

In May 2012, he was arrested again following a warrant issued by Pakistani authorities for the same case. He applied for political asylum, which was granted.

From that point, disputes began with the Pakistani ambassador in Athens, Khaled Osman, including arrests, sharp statements, and insinuations.

In August 2015, Javed Aslam was arrested again for insult and resisting authority. At that time, he had been in a vehicle with license plates that had been withdrawn. He filed a complaint against a police officer for a racist attack, to which the officer responded with a counter-complaint.

In September 2015, he was arrested again along with ten other members of the Pakistani Community in Athens following protests demanding the departure of the Pakistani ambassador from Greece.

A few months later, after a complaint filed by the Pakistani consul in Athens for defamation, insult, and threat, Aslam was once again arrested by officers from the Syntagma Police Station.

The path: asylum, Mitarakis appeal, rejections, and the case resurfacing

Aslam’s case, according to available information, was not a “straight line.” There were administrative reviews, judicial actions, and—politically significant—direct intervention from previous ministry leadership.

Specifically, former Minister of Migration and Asylum Notis Mitarakis filed an annulment request before the Administrative Court of Athens (March 2021) against granting asylum to Aslam. However, that effort did not ultimately change the outcome.

What has changed now? The Ministry signals that we are entering a period of “second review” for cases that, for various reasons, had remained under protection despite the presence of aggravating circumstances or doubts.

According to Ministry sources, Thanos Plevris has given clear instructions to services to re-examine cases where there is criminal involvement “in any form.”

For the Ministry, the revocation in Aslam’s case serves as a message that the state will not allow “double standards”: “Protection is for the genuine refugee, not for those who remain under protection while raising serious questions,” Ministry sources have disclosed.