Islamabad, March 14, 2026
Several international press freedom organisations have written to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, expressing serious concern over the escalating harassment, arbitrary arrests, and deportations of Afghan journalists living in exile in Pakistan.
In a joint letter to Sharif, the organisations, including Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Free Press Unlimited (FPU), said that Afghan journalists who fled Afghanistan to escape persecution by the Taliban regime are now being targeted in Pakistan.
According to the signatories, the crackdown by Pakistani authorities is unfolding amid escalating military tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan and has reportedly intensified since Islamabad described the situation as an “open war” on February 27.
“Over the past week, multiple Afghan journalists living in exile in Pakistan have reportedly been arrested and placed in detention centres. These arrests add to the 20-odd cases documented since the beginning of 2026. Even more concerning, at least six journalists supported by RSF have been forcibly returned to Afghanistan in the last 15 days, bringing the total to nine since January this year,” read the letter.
“The risks they face upon return to Afghanistan are acute and foreseeable. In this context, deporting Afghan journalists amounts to exposing them to retaliation, arbitrary detention, and worse,” it added.
The organisations called on the Pakistani government to take immediate and concrete steps to end the repression and uphold its responsibilities.
They urged authorities to immediately halt the arbitrary arrest, detention, harassment, and forced deportation of Afghan journalists in Pakistan. The group also called for respect of “the principle of non-refoulement and ensure that no journalist or media worker is returned to Afghanistan when they face a risk of persecution, torture, or other serious harm.”
They also urged the release of all detained Afghan journalists who have been held solely in connection with their immigration status or identity as Afghan nationals.
Highlighting the grim situation, the groups called on the Pakistani government to “provide a temporary protection framework for Afghan journalists awaiting resettlement to third countries, including clear guidance to police and local authorities to immediately end the severe harassment, extortion, and unlawful detention of journalists across Pakistan, particularly in the Islamabad region.”(Agency)
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