Police harassment, astronomical visa fees, deportation threats — RSF warns of the dire situation facing Afghan journalists exiled in Pakistan
Reduced visa durations and intensified police raids have aggravated the alarming conditions of Afghan journalists exiled in Pakistan. These media professionals are increasingly subjected to harassment, arbitrary arrests and threats of expulsion. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on the Pakistani authorities to guarantee their protection.
“Forced to flee the Taliban to save their lives, Afghan journalists who have taken refuge in Pakistan live in extreme anxiety, under the recurring threat of arbitrary arrest, police harassment and deportation to Afghanistan. RSF urges the Pakistani government to act immediately to guarantee their safety and their ability to stay in the country, in line with the principle of non-refoulement. These professionals must be allowed to extend the duration of their visas so they can finalise their resettlement process in a third country.
Pakistan is becoming an increasingly inhospitable country for the over one hundred Afghan journalists temporarily living there after fleeing the Taliban in their home country. The updated visa procedure is a glaring illustration: the duration of the Pakistani visa has been reduced to one month (the cost is around 100 USD per person), and visa renewal entails absurdly complex administrative obstacles. As a result, these professionals now face a higher risk of arrest, detention and police harassment.
Since the start of January, several journalists have been temporarily detained in a holding centre in Islamabad, the capital. One journalist, who wishes to remain anonymous, has been sent back to Afghanistan. These arrests are part of a wave of police raids targeting Afghan refugees in and around Islamabad, a consequence of deteriorating relations between the Taliban regime in Kabul and the Pakistani government. The Interior Minister justified the crackdown by accusing Afghan nationals of having taken part in opposition demonstrations — an accusation that many observers consider completely unfounded.
Alarming reports
The accounts given to RSF by exiled Afghan journalists — who wish to remain anonymous — illustrate the gravity of the situation. "The police search houses to make sure that no Afghan without a valid visa is hiding. If they find any, they subject them to a biometric check and deport them immediately. In the past, if someone applied for a visa extension, they weren't bothered, but that's no longer the case,” says one refugee journalist in Islamabad.
Other Afghan journalists have reported similar experiences, even though they were in the process of a visa renewal. "In January, my wife was arrested. Her visa had expired, but she was in the process of renewing it. The police took us by force to a deportation camp, where we spent the night, worried about the fate of our children who were left alone at home. We were released after pleading with the police chief but had to sign a promise to return to the centre if the visa was not obtained within a week. But the visa office fined us 400 dollars, which I am unable to pay. We're terrified,” said one journalist. Yet another journalist recounted: "At the beginning of January, the police searched my home and arrested me, my husband and my children. We were transferred to the Haji Camp detention centre in Islamabad, even though we had applied for a visa extension a month earlier. After several hours in detention, I was released because of the young age of my children. Despite my pleas, my husband has been deported to Afghanistan, where he faces mortal danger."
RSF has established a support network for these media professionals, calling on all relevant parties to provide dignified living conditions for these journalists, and the opportunity to settle in Pakistan or be given the ability and support needed to leave for a permanent host country.
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