Afghan women activists in Pakistan fear deportations

Zahra Mousavi, a women’s rights activist, fled from Afghanistan to neighboring Pakistan in March 2022 after months of fighting and protesting the oppressive Taliban regime.  

She now lives in hiding and constant fear of being apprehended by the Pakistani police and deported to her home country.

Mousavi actively participated in street protests against the Taliban regime after the Islamic fundamentalist group seized power in the war-ravaged country in August 2021.

She advocated for women’s rights by taking part in public gatherings and demonstrations, and tried to make the voices of Afghan women heard in the rest of the world.

But with the Taliban slapping broad restrictions on women and girls and gradually squeezing them out of public life, Mousavi was forced to leave. 

In Pakistan, however, she has struggled to secure the necessary documents to stay in the country.

“I could not obtain a valid Pakistani visa for myself and my family due to high costs and Pakistan’s strict visa policies,” the 29-year-old told DW.

“This led to my arrest by Pakistani police on February 22. They entered my home in plain clothes, conducted an intense search, and arrested both me and my young daughter, taking us to a deportation detention camp,” she said. 

“We were kept there in extremely harsh conditions for two days and one night, and we were only released after providing guarantees and due to the pressure of human rights activists.” 

Afghan female activists fear for their lives

Mousavi’s is not an isolated case.

DW spoke to several other Afghan female activists, who are also living in hiding as Islamabad looks to accelerate deportations to Afghanistan.

Jamila Ahmadi, 27, said many of her fellow Afghan women had already been sent back to Afghanistan and warned that their lives, as well as hers, were in danger.

“My activism, especially my efforts toward women’s capacity-building before the Taliban takeover, my reporting on Taliban crimes, and my involvement with the National Directorate of Security (NDS), has placed me in significant danger,” Ahmadi said.

“If I am compelled to return to Taliban rule, it would clearly be a certain death.”

Many women’s rights activists only sought asylum in Pakistan when the situation became untenable in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.

“In February 2021, I was attacked, resulting in a broken leg, but my determination remained unshaken,” said Ahmadi.

“Again, in September 2021, we were brutally beaten by the Taliban.”

A huge repatriation drive

Pakistan has hosted millions of Afghan refugees for decades.

But over the last three years, Pakistan’s relationship with Afghanistan has deteriorated.

Islamabad is angry with the Taliban authorities over the operations of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a militant group that formed in 2007 and has conducted numerous attacks on Pakistani security forces.

As cross-border tensions escalate, concerns about the well-being of Afghans in Pakistan have increased.

Islamabad is currently carrying out a huge drive to repatriate the roughly 4 million Afghans who have crossed the border in the past four decades.

Pakistan already repatriated more than 800,000 Afghan refugees between September 2023 and the end of last year, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

Legal experts and refugee rights activists have criticized the Pakistani government’s deportation plans, particularly when it comes to deporting Afghan women’s rights activists.

“Sending activists back to Afghanistan, where they are very likely to be subjected to torture at the hands of the Taliban regime, would put them in greater risk,” Osama Malik, a refugee lawyer in Islamabad, told DW. 

Growing worries about deportations

Ahmadi said her health had been affected by the deportation drive. 

“Unfortunately, for more than a month, the Pakistani police have made life difficult for refugees, including issues with visas and visa extensions. My visa expired on February 25, 2025. My personal, psychological and emotional problems are due to not having a visa and being unable to extend it,” she said. 

While rights groups have accused the Pakistani authorities of harassing Afghan refugees, Islamabad has denied the allegations and stressed that the removals were part of a 2023 campaign called the “Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan.”

There “is no specific category for activists among those being deported,” a Pakistani official, who asked not to be named, told DW. “The responsibility of hosting Afghan refugees should not fall solely on Pakistan, as other countries can also accommodate them,” the official added.

Qaiser Khan Afridi, spokesperson for the UNHCR in Pakistan, said the agency was worried about the deportations.

“UNHCR is especially concerned for Afghans who face a risk of harm upon return, such as ethnic and religious minorities, single women, journalists, human rights activists, and members of artistic professions like musicians.”

“In view of these mounting challenges, UNHCR urged Pakistan to continue to provide safety to Afghans at risk, irrespective of their documentation status,” said Afridi.

Calls for international help

Maria Noori, a 34-year-old activist from Kabul facing deportation, called on the international community to intervene and save the lives of Afghan female activists living in fear in Pakistan.

“Being sent back to Afghanistan would mean facing torture, imprisonment, or even death. The international community must understand that deporting human rights activists, particularly women, is a direct threat to our lives, and immediate action is needed to protect us,” she told DW.

The lawyer Malik criticized Western governments for their inaction.

“It is unfortunate that none of the Western countries have stepped up to immediately allow these female activists to travel to their countries,” he said.

Noori explained that the lack of a legal status and residency documents poses a big challenge. “Additionally, we face harsh economic conditions, unemployment, lack of access to health care and education, and security threats from extremists.