Tensions escalate for Afghanistan’s displaced media workers as Islamabad police detain freelance journalist Ubaidullah Ahmadi in the latest blow to press safety. The unannounced arrest highlights the perils of Pakistan’s escalating deportation drive against Afghan nationals.
Authorities have provided no clarity on the reasons behind Ahmadi’s custody, fueling speculation amid ongoing door-to-door operations to flush out undocumented migrants. Observers from media circles and rights groups report a wave of such detentions, ensnaring dozens of Afghan journalists bereft of adequate legal recourse.
Many of those held voice terror over involuntary return to Afghanistan, where Taliban retribution awaits. This has ignited outrage from human rights advocates and media defenders, pressing Pakistan to honor its duties toward safeguarding reporters and upholding free expression.
Insights from Amu TV, informed by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) research, paint a troubling trajectory. Pakistan’s 2025 deportations of 20 Afghan journalists contravene non-refoulement standards, as evidenced by local reports and RSF documentation. The organization decries these moves as direct affronts to international law, leaving fellow journalists in Pakistan gripped by fears of imminent arrest, coercion, and expulsion.
The 2021 Taliban resurgence prompted nearly 200 journalists to seek asylum in Pakistan, escaping reprisal threats. Aided by RSF, many pursue Western resettlement, yet prolonged delays in processing have stranded them in precarious limbo.
Since mid-2025, Pakistan’s reluctance to renew Afghan permits has imperiled thousands, branding them as illegals. In recent months, the pace of arbitrary journalist arrests, holds, and forced returns has accelerated dramatically.
Ahmadi’s plight underscores a humanitarian crisis at the media-refugee nexus, compelling international bodies to advocate for protections that prevent such violations and preserve safe corridors for persecuted voices.