Prominent Afghan women’s rights activists, over 50 in number, currently taking refuge in Pakistan, are at risk of being deported back to Afghanistan. This deportation threatens their safety as they could face imprisonment or death under Taliban rule due to their activism and advocacy for women’s rights and education.
Pakistan has pledged to expel millions of Afghan nationals following strained relations between the two countries and an increase in militant attacks in border areas. The Pakistani government accuses Afghans of being “terrorists” and “traitors” who are exacerbating crime and militancy in the country.
Since September 2023, Pakistan has been carrying out deportations of Afghan refugees. According to Amnesty International, at least 844,499 Afghan nationals have been forcibly deported and are at risk of persecution by the Taliban.
Among those at risk of deportation are 60 female activists and human rights defenders who fled Afghanistan to escape persecution. They spoke out for women’s rights, education, and protested against the Taliban, and now face arbitrary arrest and demands for bribes in Pakistan.
Humaira Alim, a women’s rights and education activist from Afghanistan, fled to Pakistan after receiving threats from the Taliban. She now resides in Islamabad with her two young children, living in constant fear of deportation.
Liliana Harrington, a senior campaigner for Avaaz, an organization advocating for the rights of these women, said, “Deporting these people to the Taliban is a death sentence. Pakistan would not only abandon these brave people to their oppressors but also abandon its legacy of protecting vulnerable Afghans.”
The Pakistani government has given all undocumented Afghan nationals a deadline of March 31 to leave the country, of their face arrest. Alim and other female activists are asking for more time to find a third country to grant them asylum.
Amnesty International’s Isabelle Lassee has criticized the Pakistani authorities for violating the rights of Afghan refugees with impunity, subjecting them to arbitrary decisions that lack transparency and accountability.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/30/it-means-death-afghan-womens-rights-activists-face-deportation-from-pakistan
