Pakistan: Afghan journalists caught in crackdown on refugees as Islamabad declares “open warfare” against Afghanistan

Multiple exiled Afghan journalists have been arrested in Pakistan in the past week as military tensions between the two countries intensified. Placed in detention centres, they join the 20-odd arrests recorded by RSF since the beginning of 2026. At least six journalists supported by RSF have been forcibly returned to Afghanistan in the last 15 days; the NGO has counted nine in total since January. Several media professionals have relayed their distress to RSF. "Since February 27, the police have been conducting repeated checks and operations against Afghans in our area," one of them explained. "Although my visa is still valid, the police came to our home three times. Today, the 28th, they even took me to the police station and detained me for about an hour before releasing me." one of them lamented.

Another reporter testified to their isolation in Pakistan, which is no longer a refuge: "For several weeks now, my family and I have not left our home for fear of being detained by the Pakistani police. We are effectively prisoners in our own home. We currently have no food or basic necessities." Others also speak of extortion by Pakistani forces, outside any legal framework. "After spending a full day in a Pakistani police detention centre, I was forced to pay 115,000 PKR [about 1,500 USD] to avoid deportation and secure my release," said one of the journalists interviewed by RSF. "In early February, my landlord asked me to leave the premises."

These media professionals have all left Afghanistan because of the terror imposed by the Taliban regime, which is closing down media and persecuting those who still dare to report the news. The latest example: on 4 March, the Taliban authorities closed the private station Radio Khushal in Ghazni province after it broadcast telephone calls from girls participating in an educational program.

Since Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq ("Righteous Fury") against Afghanistan on 26 February and is now talking about "open warfare," Afghan refugees have been victims of a crackdown that even extends to those with valid documents. Police operations are increasing not just in the capital but throughout the rest of the country. This intensification is part of a broader policy of expelling Afghan refugees that started in 2023, against a backdrop of tension with the Taliban regime, which Pakistan accuses of harbouring insurgents, including Pakistani Taliban fighters carrying out attacks on its territory.

Since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in August 2021, nearly 200 Afghan journalists and their families have found temporary refuge in Pakistan, hoping to obtain visas for a third country. However, resettlement proceduresto Europe or North America have now slowed down or are at a standstill, prolonging exile for for months or even years. By 2025, at least 20Afghan journalists exiled in Pakistan had been forcibly returned to Afghanistan.

Under Taliban rule, the Afghan media landscape is stifled by restrictionsand censorship. Afghanistan ranks 175th out of 180 countries and territories in the2025 RSF World Press Freedom Index.