Afghan Media Watchdog Urges Pakistan to Halt Deportation of Afghan Journalists

Afghanistan’s media support organization in exile, Nai, has expressed grave concern over the situation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan, particularly journalists and media workers. The group has called on the Pakistani government to immediately cease any efforts to deport these individuals.

Nai made the appeal in a statement released last night, warning that returning Afghan journalists to their home country would put them at direct risk of death due to the Taliban’s control of Afghanistan and the group’s open hostility toward media professionals and civil society activists.

According to Nai, at least five Afghan journalists and media staff were arrested in Islamabad within the past 24 hours and transferred to detention centers for deportation to Afghanistan. The organization warned that continued such actions could endanger the lives of dozens of journalists.

Nai urged the Pakistani government to provide safe and long-term refuge for Afghan journalists, allowing them protection from harassment, persecution, and suppression by the Taliban regime. It emphasized that using refugees as a means of political pressure against the Taliban is both inhumane and contrary to Islamic principles.

The statement concluded by warning the Pakistani authorities that the Taliban remain staunch enemies of media institutions and civil society in Afghanistan, and view individuals in these sectors as deserving of the death penalty.