'No place for women like me': Afghan women activists in Pakistan face deportation, persecution by Taliban

More than 50 prominent Afghan women’s rights activists sheltering in Pakistan face imminent deportation to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, where they say they risk imprisonment or death.

The Pakistani government has pledged to expel millions of undocumented Afghan nationals amid worsening relations with Kabul and a spike in cross-border militant attacks.

Officials have described Afghan refugees as a threat to national security, labelling them “terrorists” and “traitors.”

Since the deportations began in September 2023, at least 844,499 Afghans have been forcibly returned, according to Amnesty International. The rights group said returnees face a “real risk of persecution” under Taliban rule, The Guardian reported.

Among those under threat are 60 Afghan women who fled persecution for their activism in support of women’s rights and education. Many have been forced into hiding in Islamabad and Rawalpindi as police reportedly conduct door-to-door raids, arresting Afghans and allegedly extorting bribes.

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Humaira Alim, a former education activist, fled Afghanistan in December 2022 while pregnant with her first child after receiving death threats from the Taliban. She now lives in Islamabad with her two young children on a month-to-month visa.

“If they send me back to Afghanistan, it only means death,” Alim said. “The Taliban have records on me and my activism. There is no place for women like me. They only arrest and torture us.”

Alim said she knows dozens of Afghan women—lawyers, human rights defenders and protest organisers—who are also in hiding and fear deportation.

Pakistan has given all undocumented Afghans until March 31 to leave voluntarily or face arrest. The women are seeking more time to secure asylum in a third country. Some are awaiting possible relocation to Brazil, while others continue to search for safe haven.

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“Deporting these people to the Taliban is a death sentence,” said Liliana Harrington, senior campaigner for Avaaz, a global advocacy group. “Pakistan would not only abandon these brave people to their oppressors but also abandon its proud legacy of protecting vulnerable Afghans.”

Isabelle Lassee, Amnesty International’s deputy regional director for South Asia, condemned the expulsions.

“The Pakistani authorities are violating the rights of Afghan refugees with impunity,” Lassee said. “These decisions are being made arbitrarily, without transparency or accountability.”