Pakistan’s mass expulsion of Afghans puts writers, journalists and human rights defenders at grave risk

By A Representative

The government of Pakistan is facing urgent calls from international organisations to immediately halt the ongoing mass expulsion of Afghan nationals, amid mounting concerns that the policy endangers the lives of thousands, including writers, journalists, artists and human rights defenders who are at risk of persecution by the Taliban. The move, known officially as the ‘Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan’, was first announced on 3 October 2023 and has since triggered widespread alarm among human rights bodies and UN agencies.

Despite repeated warnings from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, the Pakistani authorities have stepped up their deportation campaign. In April 2025 alone, over 30,000 Afghans were forcibly returned, a figure that underscores the speed and scale of the operation. These deportations are being carried out in violation of Pakistan’s international human rights obligations, particularly the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning individuals to a country where they face serious threats to life or freedom.

Many of those being deported include individuals who fled Afghanistan after the Taliban regained control in August 2021. Among them are journalists, artists and human rights activists who continue to face the threat of arbitrary arrest, torture and imprisonment for their expression of dissent or promotion of fundamental freedoms. UN experts have highlighted that deported Afghan women and girls face extreme repression under the Taliban regime—describing their treatment as a form of “gender apartheid”.

As humanitarian visa pathways remain largely suspended and international support for resettlement weakens—particularly from the US, UK and Germany—many Afghans who had sought temporary refuge in Pakistan now find themselves stranded in precarious and unsafe conditions. The Pakistani authorities’ campaign has also led to mass arrests, harassment and intimidation of Afghan communities, deepening the climate of fear and insecurity for over a million Afghan refugees and asylum seekers still residing in the country.

In a joint statement issued on 28 May 2025, a coalition of international organisations condemned the deportations and called on Pakistan to immediately suspend its repatriation plan. They also urged the international community to provide urgent and safe pathways for at-risk Afghans to seek asylum and rebuild their lives in safety. The undersigned organisations include PEN International, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Free Press Unlimited, Artists at Risk Connection (ARC), Index on Censorship, and others committed to defending free expression and human rights.

Signed: Afghan Journalists in Exile in North America and Europe (AJE); Artists at Risk Connection (ARC); Committee to Protect Journalists; Free Press Unlimited; Front Line Defenders; Index on Censorship; International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN); NAI Supporting Open Media in Afghanistan (NAI-SOMA); PEN Afghanistan; PEN America; PEN Germany; PEN International; PEN Norway; Reporters Without Borders (RSF); The International Association of Women in Radio & Television (IAWRT).

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