KARACHI: After living in Pakistan for years, thousands of Afghans have gone into hiding to escape a government order to expel undocumented foreigners because they fear persecution under a Taliban administration in their homeland, rights activists say.
"The gate is locked from the outside... we are locked inside, we can't come out, we can't turn on our lights, we can't even talk loudly," said a 23-year-old Afghan woman, speaking online from a shelter where she said dozens of others had holed up until earlier this week before moving on to a new hideout.
Local supporters put a lock on the gate so neighbours believe the house is unoccupied, said other inmates.
The woman, who is from the Afghan capital Kabul, said she fears prosecution if she returns to Afghanistan because she converted from Islam to Christianity in 2019 and renunciation of the Islamic faith is a serious offence under the strict Islamic law practised by the Taliban.
She is one of thousands believed by rights activists to be in hiding in Pakistan to avoid deportation under a government push for undocumented migrants to leave the country. That includes over one million Afghans, many of whom the Pakistan government says have been involved in militant attacks and crime.
Authorities began rounding up operations across the country after a deadline for voluntary exits expired on Nov. 1.
Sijal Shafiq, 30, a Karachi-based human rights activist who helped vulnerable Afghans find shelter before Pakistan's new expulsion policy, is one of several petitioners asking the Supreme Court to halt the deportation programme.
"I know several women, girls, who say they would rather die than return under the Taliban," Shafiq says, adding that they all had professional dreams and ambitions which would be impossible to realise in Afghanistan, where women are forbidden from most jobs and can travel only with a male escort.
There was no immediate comment from a spokesman of the Taliban-run administration on whether those returning would be screened or prosecuted under their laws. Pakistan's foreign and interior ministries also did not respond to requests for comment about exempting at-risk individuals from deportation.
The Pakistani government has so far brushed off calls from the United Nations, rights groups and Western embassies to reconsider its expulsion plan or to identify and protect Afghans who face the risk of persecution at home.
Western embassies, including the United States, have also provided Pakistani authorities lists of Afghans being processed for possible migration abroad, and asked that they be exempt from expulsion, but the numbers are small compared to the people at risk.
'WORSE THAN PRISON'
Reuters spoke to a dozen undocumented migrants trying to stay under the radar of the nationwide sweep. Because of their situation, they declined to be identified or asked that their full names not be used.
They included a 35-year-old father, also a Christian convert, who fled to Pakistan with his nine-year-old daughter.
Another young girl in the shelter said she fears for her life because she belongs to the ethnic Hazara minority, which has for years faced persecution from hardline Sunni extremists in Afghanistan.
"This is worse than prison," said a 22-year-old Afghan man who said he ensured the lights remained off at night.
Some locals who are helping the Afghans arrange for food and water to be secretly smuggled into the shelter under the cover of night.
Afghan singer Wafa, 28, fears her days of refuge in Pakistan, where she moved shortly after the Taliban takeover over two years ago, are coming to an end because her visa has expired.
Speaking from a relative's home in Islamabad, she said she hoped that she could either get asylum in France or Canada, or make Pakistan her home, as her profession of singing Pashto songs, which she started 11 years ago, is no longer acceptable in Afghanistan, where the Taliban have banned public music performances.
But she is yet to hear back, and applying for a visa extension remains unaffordable for her family. In the meantime, she does not leave the house to avoid widespread snap checks by Pakistani police.
"I am a singer... I know what will happen to me when I'm back," Wafa said.
Saleh Zada, a 32-year-old singer in Karachi, said he moved from Afghanistan a year ago.
"I was singing in my village for friends and relatives, we had lots of parties, singing parties," Saleh Zada said, speaking at a crowded low-income neighbourhood apartment belonging to his relatives. He showed Reuters video clips of him playing the harmonium and rubab, a string instrument, some of which were on social media.
"My family advised me to leave Afghanistan, I feared the Taliban," he says, adding that the fear of being picked up by Pakistani police, because he does not have a valid visa, has kept him indoors for days.
"Life is difficult here (in Pakistan), but I have to save my life."
Reuters
Fri Nov 10 2023
After living in Pakistan for years, thousands of Afghans have gone into hiding to escape a government order to expel undocumented foreigners. - The Norwegian Refugee Council/via REUTERS
Ringgit dibuka tinggi berbanding dolar AS
Pada jam 8 pagi, ringgit meningkat kepada 4.6695/6735 berbanding dolar US daripada 4.6725/6745 semalam.
Kim Pan-gon letak jawatan?
Kim Pan-gon dipercayai akan mengadakan sidang akhbar hari ini untuk mengumumkan peletakan jawatannya.
AWANI Ringkas: Syor ambil guru Bahasa Inggeris dari Singapura jadi tumpuan
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
Suspek kes kematian Nur Farah Kartini direman tujuh hari
Perintah reman terhadap suspek lelaki berusia 26 tahun itu dikeluarkan Hakim Nurul Mardhiah Mohammed Redza.
KPM teliti cadangan sukarelawan Guru Bahasa Inggeris dari Singapura
Sukarelawan berbentuk hubungan diplomasi yang dibiayai kerajaan Singapura bagi bantu tingkatkan penguasaan bahasa Inggeris murid di kawasan miskin bandar dan luar bandar, kata Menteri Pendidikan.
#AWANInews #SisiTVParlimen
#AWANInews #SisiTVParlimen
Niaga AWANI: [Pasca IPO] Apa hala tuju Johor Plantations Group?
Johor Plantations Group (JPG) memperoleh RM735 juta daripada penyenaraiannya di pasaran utama Bursa Malaysia sejak 9 Julai lalu. Bagaimanakah pelan JPG untuk terus berdaya saing pada masa hadapan?
Impact of cloud complexity on cybersecurity risk and AI's role in this mix
Organizations who are adopting multi-cloud or hybrid cloud environments are having to navigate new complexities that emerge as they expand on cloud. As these cloud environments lead to the expansion of attack surfaces, a global survey conducted by Gigamon found that 93% of IT and security leaders predict cloud security attacks will increase this year.
[Data & Statistik] Prestasi Bursa Malaysia setakat 16 Julai 2024
Jumlah dagangan meningkat kepada 5.36 bilion unit bernilai RM3.95 bilion daripada 4.58 bilion unit bernilai RM3.72 bilion pada Jumaat.
[Data & Statistik] Kedudukan MYR berbanding SGD setakat 16 Julai 2024
Niaga AWANI bawakan prestasi terkini prestasi MYR berbanding SGD.
[Data & Statistik] Prestasi ringgit setakat 16 Julai 2024
Ketua Ahli Ekonomi Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid berkata walaupun ringgit merosot, kontrak niaga hadapan Dana Fed menunjukkan bahawa penurunan kadar faedah mungkin akan berlaku pada September depan.
Afghanistan siap sedia sambut Aidiladha meski berdepan cabaran ekonomi
Kadar pengangguran dan kemiskinan yang tinggi mengurangkan kuasa beli rakyat Afghanistan secara drastik, menyukarkan mereka untuk melaksanakan ibadah korban.
Tehran dakwa penjajahan asing sebagai punca utama masalah Afghanistan
Punca masalah dan cabaran Afghanistan ialah pendudukan negara itu sebelum ini dan kurangnya perhatian terhadap pembangunan ekonominya oleh bekas penjajah.
Pilihan raya Pakistan: Perkhidmatan rangkaian mudah alih digantung, sempadan ditutup
Pihak berkuasa Pakistan menggantung perkhidmatan mudah alih dan menutup sempadan dengan negara jiran Afghanistan dan Iran selepas insiden pengeboman.
150,000 wanita dan sektor kesihatan, hak tidak diabaikan - Menteri Kesihatan Awam Afghanistan
Seramai 150,000 wanita berkhidmat dalam sektor kesihatan Afghanistan ketika ini dengan pelbagai cabang kepakaran.
Afghanistan ketika ini 100 peratus aman - Menteri Kesihatan Awam Afghanistan
Situasi di Afghanistan jauh lebih baik berbanding 20 tahun lalu yang menyaksikan ratusan orang maut akibat peperangan.
Afghanistan perlu raih semula penghormatan untuk membangun - Penganalisis
Afghanistan perlu memecahkan persepsi negatif terhadap negaranya dan meraih semula penghormatan komuniti antarabangsa untuk membangun.
Genosid di Gaza hancurkan 'kredibiliti' pertubuhan dunia - Afghanistan
Afghanistan mengutuk sekeras-kerasnya rejim Israel itu kerana meneruskan pengeboman yang membunuh ratusan rakyat Palestin sejak jeda kemanusiaan tamat pada Jumaat.
Gempa bumi landa barat laut Afghanistan, 100 cedera
Sekurang-kurangnya 100 orang cedera selepas satu lagi gempa bumi kuat berukuran 6.3 pada skala Richter menggegarkan barat laut Afghanistan pada Ahad.
80 cedera dalam gempa bumi kuat di Afghanistan
Menurut penduduk tempatan, kebanyakan mangsa yang cedera telah dibawa ke hospital.
Angka kematian gempa bumi Afghanistan meningkat lebih 2,000 orang
Lebih 2,000 orang maut selepas beberapa gempa bumi kuat menggegarkan barat Afghanistan pada Sabtu.