Supportive organisations call on UN to halt forced expulsion of Journalists from Pakistan
Nov 01, 2023
Kabul [Afghanistan], November 1 : The Federation of Organisations supporting Journalists' Rights in Exile has urgently appealed to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organisation for Migration to intervene and prevent the forced deportation of Afghan journalists and media activists currently residing in Pakistan, The Khaama Press reported.
In a report, it was said that the Federation issued a statement urging them to take action to prevent the expulsion of journalists and media professionals.
It reported that Afghan journalists in Pakistan have received eviction notices from Pakistani security forces in the past two days, as stated by Afghan journalists based in Pakistan.
The organisation underlines that following the rise of the Taliban-led administration in Afghanistan, thousands of Afghan journalists and media personnel migrated to Pakistan due to security threats.
The Khaama Press reported that previously, the Federation of Organisations Supporting Journalists' Rights in Exile had called on the United Nations to prevent arbitrary detentions and forced expulsions of Afghan journalists by the Pakistani government.
This comes at a time when the Pakistani government has set a deadline for the expulsion of Afghan migrants from the country.
Simultaneously, Pakistani authorities have reported that nearly 200,000 Afghan citizens have voluntarily returned to their country in the past two months.
Meanwhile, following Pakistan's decision to expel nearly 1.7 million foreign nationals, primarily Afghans, schools teaching Afghan children in Pakistan have started closing their doors for them, reported Khaama Press.
The closure of schools is primarily affecting Afghan girls in Pakistan as it may mark the end of their education for the foreseeable future.
Leading to this, many of these Afghan women are forced to return to Afghanistan, where the Taliban government has already prohibited them from accessing secondary education.
The Pakistani government initiated an extensive crackdown on the estimated 1.7 million Afghans residing in the country without legal status, leaving them until October 31 to leave or face mass arrests, Khaama Press reported.
