Afghan women who defied Taliban fear death if Pakistan sends them home

More than 50 prominent female Afghan women's rights activists sheltering in Pakistan are facing deportation home, where they fear they will be imprisoned or killed under Taliban rule.

- Hannah Ellis-Petersen

Under a draconian policy, the Pakistan government has pledged to deport millions of Afghan nationals, after relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan severely deteriorated and attacks by militants in the border areas surged.

Pakistan government ministers have accused Afghans of being "terrorists" and "traitors" who are fuelling crime and militancy in the country.

Pakistan began deportations of Afghan refugees in September 2023. According to a recent report by Amnesty International, so far at least 844,499 Afghan nationals have been forcibly deported back to Afghanistan where they are at "real risk of persecution by the Taliban".

Among those facing the threat of returning to Afghanistan are 60 female activists and human rights defenders, who fled persecution after they spoke out for women's rights and education, or attended protests. Many have been forced into hiding in recent weeks, as police have been going door to door in the cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, arbitrarily arresting any Afghans and allegedly demanding huge bribes.