Rights Groups Urge Pakistan to Halt Deportation of Afghan Journalists
International press freedom groups have urged Pakistan to immediately stop detaining and deporting Afghan journalists, warning they face grave risks if returned.
A coalition of international media freedom and human rights organisations has written to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday, calling for an immediate halt to the arrest and deportation of Afghan journalists residing in Pakistan. The letter describes the recent surge in detentions as “deeply alarming.”
The signatories warned that many Afghan journalists fled after threats, violence and repression by the Taliban due to their professional work. Forced return, they cautioned, could expose them to retaliatory detention, arbitrary arrest, violence or even death.
The groups urged Islamabad to respect the principle of non-refoulement and uphold its international obligations toward refugees and at-risk media workers. They stressed that deportations would place lives in immediate danger.
The appeal comes amid Pakistan’s broader crackdown on undocumented migrants, which has already resulted in thousands of Afghans being detained or expelled. Rights monitors say journalists are particularly vulnerable due to their public profiles.
According to international reports, more than three million Afghan refugees have returned from Iran and Pakistan over the past year, many under pressure or forced deportation. Their return has unfolded against a backdrop of dire humanitarian and security conditions inside Afghanistan.
The country is grappling with economic collapse, restrictions on women, shrinking civic space and rising insecurity, leaving returnees with limited access to shelter, employment and basic services.
The organisations also raised concerns about press freedom within Pakistan, citing prolonged detention of journalists under cybercrime laws and unresolved killings of prominent media figures. They warned that the current trajectory threatens both Pakistani journalists and Afghan reporters in exile.
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