With only one day left before Pakistan’s deportation deadline for Afghans expires, more than 60 prominent Afghan women’s rights activists are at risk of forced return to Afghanistan.
According to The Guardian, these women, who fled the Taliban due to their activism for women’s rights, now fear imprisonment, torture, or even death if they are sent back.
As relations between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban deteriorated and militant attacks in border regions increased, the Pakistani government adopted a strict policy to expel millions of Afghan nationals. Pakistani authorities have labeled Afghans as “terrorists” and “traitors,” blaming them for rising crime and extremism in the country.
Pakistan began deporting Afghan refugees and migrants in September 2023. According to a recent Amnesty International report, at least 844,499 Afghan nationals have already been forcibly returned to Afghanistan, where they face “a real risk of persecution by the Taliban.”
Among those facing imminent deportation are 60 Afghan women activists and human rights defenders who fled Taliban persecution after advocating for women’s rights or participating in protests.
Many of these women have been forced into hiding in recent weeks as Pakistani police conduct door-to-door searches in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, arbitrarily detaining Afghans and allegedly demanding large bribes.
“There Is No Place for Women Like Us”
Humaira Aleem, a women’s rights and education activist in Afghanistan for seven years, was among those who resisted the Taliban’s oppressive policies after they seized power in 2021. As women were stripped of their right to work and education, she helped organize street protests.
However, after receiving “serious warnings” and then direct death threats from the Taliban, Aleem said she had “no choice” but to cross the border into Pakistan in December 2022.
Since then, she has been living in Islamabad with her two young children, relying on a visa that requires monthly renewals. She describes her situation as a “terrifying nightmare”, as Afghan nationals now face relentless harassment and crackdowns by Pakistani authorities.
Recently, she and her children had to hide on their rooftop as police arrived to arrest them.
“If they send me back to Afghanistan, it means only one thing: death,” Aleem said. “The Taliban have records of my activism. There is no place for women like us. They will only arrest and torture us. I cannot go back with my children.”
Aleem emphasized that many other Afghan women—activists, lawyers, and human rights defenders—have also been persecuted by the Taliban and are now in hiding in Pakistan.
“Deportation to the Taliban Is a Death Sentence”
Liliana Harrington, senior campaign officer at the Awaaz organization, which supports these women, stated:
“Deporting these individuals to the Taliban is a death sentence. Pakistan is not only handing these brave individuals over to their oppressors but also erasing its proud legacy of supporting vulnerable Afghans.”
The Pakistani government has given all undocumented Afghan nationals until March 31 to leave the country or face arrest. Aleem and other women activists are pleading for more time to secure asylum in a third country.
Currently, they are awaiting a possible offer from Brazil or hoping that other countries will provide them with a safe haven.
The mass deportations have been widely condemned, including by Isabel Lassee, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for South Asia. She stated:
“Pakistani authorities are violating Afghan refugees’ rights with complete impunity, subjecting them to arbitrary decisions made in secrecy, with no transparency or accountability.”
