Media Advocacy Organizations Call for Halt to Deportation of Afghan Journalists from Pakistan

KABUL (Hasht-e Subh) -- A group of international organizations advocating for press freedom and human rights has urged the Pakistani government to immediately halt the arrest and deportation of Afghan journalists residing in Pakistan and to uphold the principle of non-refoulement.

In a letter sent on Wednesday, 6 Hoot (Feb. 25, 2026), to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the signatories described the recent increase in arrests and deportations of Afghan journalists as "worrying."

They warned that many of these journalists have faced threats, violence, and suppression from the Taliban due to their professional work, and that their return to Afghanistan could place their lives in serious danger.

The letter emphasized that deporting these journalists could expose them to retaliatory arrests, arbitrary violence, or even death at the hands of the Taliban upon return to Afghanistan.

The organizations called on Pakistan to immediately stop the deportation process and adhere to its international obligations to protect refugees and journalists at risk.

This demand forms part of broader concerns over the state of press freedom in Pakistan. The letter referenced the over 90-day detention of journalist Sohrab Barkat under Pakistan's 2016 Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, as well as the lack of accountability in the murders of journalists Arshad Sharif and Shan Dahar.

The advocacy groups warned that the ongoing situation endangers both Pakistani journalists and Afghan journalists in exile, further restricting the media environment in Pakistan.