Uncertainty Torments Afghan Refugees Facing Deportation From Pakistan

Monday marks the deadline for Afghans sheltering in Pakistan to leave the country, with the prospect of a dangerous future in Taliban-led Afghanistan ahead.

In a refugee settlement on the outskirts of Karachi, Pakistan, Afghan families gathered on Sunday to observe the festival of Eid al-Fitr — not in joyous celebration, but in quiet apprehension. On Monday, thousands who have called Pakistan home for generations face a deportation deadline and an uncertain, possibly dangerous future.

Since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, millions of Afghans have sought refuge in neighboring Pakistan, fleeing waves of violence and instability. Over the decades, many have returned home, but conflict and political upheaval continue to send hundreds of thousands back.

The latest wave of displacement followed the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, after the collapse of Ashraf Ghani’s U.S.-backed government. They included refugees who were promised resettlement in the United States.

Many now face mandatory repatriation, with a March 31 deadline — a decision that was announced only last month, sparking widespread fear.

“As a fellow Muslim nation and a neighbor, Pakistan should show compassion and grant refugees more time to prepare,” said Haji Abdullah Bukhari, a community leader in Karachi. “Uprooting their lives in just a few days is impossible. Many have spent decades here, and now they are being forced to return to a country they barely know.”

Pakistan’s ongoing deportation of Afghan refugees stems from growing frustration with the Taliban administration, which it accuses of sheltering Pakistani militants, particularly Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or T.T.P., responsible for deadly attacks inside Pakistan. The Taliban deny these allegations, but tensions continue to rise.

In 2023, Pakistan expelled hundreds of thousands of Afghans — both documented and undocumented. However, most refugees awaiting resettlement in Western countries were largely spared thanks to diplomatic interventions.

Their fate, however, became increasingly uncertain in January when President Trump issued an executive order suspending all refugee admissions to the United States. This decision left thousands of Afghans stranded in Pakistan.

In February, Pakistan announced its plans to repatriate Afghans awaiting resettlement by March 31, along with 800,000 Pakistan-issued Afghan Citizenship Card holders and an unknown number of undocumented Afghan migrants.

The decision has caused widespread unease, particularly among those most vulnerable to Taliban persecution, including former Afghan government and security officials, women’s rights activists and journalists.

“Many have told us they fear prison, torture, or even execution if Pakistan forcibly sends them back to Afghanistan,” said Moniza Kakar, a lawyer with the Joint Action Committee for Refugees, a Pakistani civil society network that advocates for international intervention and support to safeguard lives.

Avaaz, a global campaign that is currently working to support a group of 60 Afghan women’s rights activists stuck in Pakistan, has also voiced deep concern over the deportation drive.

Among those affected is Samia Hamza, a women’s rights activist and former law and international relations student under the U.S.-funded Denton Program. After the Taliban seized power, she protested against the ban on girls’ education, further endangering herself.

As conditions worsened in late 2021, she fled to Pakistan. However, she has since faced severe discrimination and economic hardship while awaiting U.S. resettlement through the special immigration visas for Afghans program.

Like many Afghans, she was devastated by the Trump administration’s decision to halt new immigrants. “We have heard nothing about our case since then,” said Hamza, who lives with her husband and four children in Islamabad. “With the threat of deportation, returning to Afghanistan means facing grave danger.”

The Pakistani government has ruled out extending the deportation deadline despite appeals from international organizations and the Taliban administration. Justifying its crackdown on Afghans, the government has drawn parallels to ongoing deportation efforts in the United States and various European countries.

Meanwhile, Philippa Candler, the Pakistan representative at the United Nations refugee agency, urged Pakistan and Afghanistan to ensure voluntary, safe returns. “Forced returns help no one and aren’t sustainable — many deported in 2023 have already returned.”

Many Afghans remember terrifying scenes of the 2023 expulsions, dreading the moment when police contingents might arrive — knocking on doors, rounding up families into trucks and transferring them to detention centers before forcing them into Afghanistan.

“We are all praying for a miracle that Pakistan will stop the deportations to a country my children have never seen,” said Naik Bakht, an Afghan refugee who arrived in Karachi in 1996. A father of three, all born in Pakistan, he said he fears for their future.

“I am terrified. What will we do in Afghanistan? Where will we go? How will we survive?”

Uncertainty Torments Afghan Refugees Facing Deportation From Pakistan
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Begum Academy Launches Offline Learning App to Empower Afghan Girls

As the new academic year begins in Afghanistan, it also marks the third consecutive year that girls above the age of 12 have been denied access to formal education. In response to these ongoing restrictions, Begum Academy, a digital education initiative founded by Afghan entrepreneur Hamida Aman in November 2023, continues to expand its services to support learning opportunities for girls.

Begum Academy was launched to provide free educational content aligned with Afghanistan’s official curriculum for grades 7 through 12. The platform currently hosts more than 8,000 instructional videos in both Dari and Pashto. Thousands of users have joined the platform since its launch, accessing lessons in subjects ranging from mathematics to literature.

To address connectivity issues that limit access to online learning in many parts of the country, the Academy has developed a mobile application that allows students to access content without the need for an internet connection. Supported by the Malala Fund, the app is now available on the App Store and Google Play.

The application also includes interactive features such as student discussion forums, direct messaging with instructors, customizable avatars, and a weekly activity leaderboard. According to project staff, these elements are designed to encourage engagement and create a more connected learning environment.

Elissa Rocheteau, Educational Project Manager for Begum Academy, stated that incorporating interactive elements into the app was intended to improve user experience and help students feel part of a broader learning community.

To enhance support, Begum Academy has also increased its academic team. As of this school year, 20 subject teachers—10 in Dari and 10 in Pashto—are available to assist students with questions and guidance.

In addition to academic courses, the Academy is preparing to introduce vocational training programs within the app. These programs aim to provide learners with practical skills that may contribute to employment opportunities and personal development.

Aman noted that the Academy is also exploring offline technology solutions through a partnership with a French startup. The collaboration is focused on developing portable devices that will allow students in remote or underserved areas to access the Academy’s educational content without requiring an internet connection.

While access to education for girls in Afghanistan remains limited due to current policies, initiatives like Begum Academy are working to provide alternative pathways to learning for those affected.

The Begum Academy app can be downloaded here:

App Store: https://apps.apple.com/fr/app/begum-academy/id6741149474
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.corvit_mobile_bow

Begum Academy Launches Offline Learning App to Empower Afghan Girls
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US State Department: Processing of Afghan SIV Applications continues

The U.S. State Department is continuing to process Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applications for Afghan applicants seeking relocation.

The U.S. State Department confirmed on Monday that it is continuing to process Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applications for Afghanistan’s nationals. The department stated that these applications are currently in various stages, including consular interviews, security reviews, and visa issuance decisions.

The U.S. government clarified that the citizens of Afghanistan with SIVs will not receive financial support from the U.S. upon arrival. They are expected to travel to the U.S. using commercial airline services and must have sufficient financial resources to support themselves after their arrival.

In contrast to the Biden administration’s stance, the Trump administration had previously cut off funding to resettlement organizations for immigrants. As a result, Afghanistan’s migrants will not receive federal assistance upon arrival, a policy that has left many individuals concerned about their future in the U.S.

The announcement from the State Department has done little to assuage the concerns of migrants, many of whom fear their relocation may be halted due to the Trump administration’s immigration policies. These individuals, who have assisted the U.S. military and government in Afghanistan, were expecting help with their resettlement.

The AfghanEvac organization, which supports former U.S. allies, previously warned that the suspension of funding for resettlement programs, coupled with the issuance of a travel ban for citizens from certain Muslim-majority countries, has created uncertainty about the future of the Afghanistan allies relocation process.

The U.S. State Department acknowledged the legal challenges surrounding the suspension of the refugee resettlement programs for vulnerable populations from countries like Afghanistan. They refrained from commenting further on the status of other visa programs for Afghan nationals.

In response to the suspension of the Afghan relocation program, several influential U.S. Congress members wrote to President Trump urging him to reconsider his decision. They expressed concerns that this policy would endanger the lives of 200,000 Afghan allies who worked alongside U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

The suspension of the Afghan relocation program has prompted fears for the safety of thousands of individuals, including family members of U.S. military personnel and former interpreters. Many of these individuals were in the process of being resettled in the U.S. after the fall of the Afghanistan government.

The legal and political uncertainty surrounding Afghan migrant resettlement continues to raise serious questions about the future of these individuals and the U.S. government’s role in assisting them.

US State Department: Processing of Afghan SIV Applications continues
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Pakistan Resumes Deportation of Afghan Refugees After Deadline Ends

This development comes despite a report by the Associated Press yesterday, which mentioned a ten-day suspension of the deportation process.

Pakistani media have reported the start of the deportation process of Afghan refugees from Pakistan.

This development comes despite a report by the Associated Press yesterday, which mentioned a ten-day suspension of the deportation process.

According to a report by The Express Tribune, “Pakistan currently hosts 2.1 million documented Afghan refugees, with many others living in the country without legal documentation. Approximately 1.3 million of these refugees have received Proof of Registration cards, with more than half of them residing in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).”

At the same time, several Afghan refugees who hold “ACC” (Afghan Citizen Card) documents have stated they are not yet ready to return to Afghanistan.

Mir Miyakhel, an Afghan refugee in Pakistan, said: “I hope the government of Pakistan reconsiders its decision and halts forced repatriation so that Afghans can secure adequate shelter in their homeland.”

Malak Awwal Shinwari, another Afghan refugee in Pakistan, said: “Afghan refugees didn’t feel the joy of Eid because they cannot organize their affairs in a single month or within twenty days. Afghan asylum seekers here are deeply engaged in their businesses and have spent many years in this country.”

Meanwhile, a number of refugee rights activists have labeled the forced deportations as violations of international laws and conventions.

Mohammad Khan Mohammadzai, a refugee rights activist, stated: “The current pressure on refugees indicates that both governments must act in accordance with the principles of neighborhood and Islamic values. The current measures against refugees contradict international laws.”

Pakistani media have also reported that the police chief of Rawalpindi has ordered the arrest and deportation of undocumented Afghan refugees.

Pakistan Resumes Deportation of Afghan Refugees After Deadline Ends
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Trump Administration: No Rest Until Detained Americans Brought Home

Faye Hall was the third American citizen released by the Islamic Emirate through mediation by Qatar.

Following the release of Faye Hall, an American citizen previously detained in Afghanistan, the Trump administration reaffirmed its commitment to securing the return of all American citizens detained in other countries.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the United States government will persist in its efforts until all Americans detained in Afghanistan or held hostage elsewhere are freed.

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said: “President Trump’s…commitment to the American people is clear – we will not rest until all Americans detained in Afghanistan, and held hostage around the world, are brought home.”

Faye Hall was the third American citizen released by the Islamic Emirate through mediation by Qatar.

Some political analysts view the release of American citizens by the interim Afghan government as a positive step toward improving relations between Kabul and Washington.

Idris Mohammadi Zazai, a political analyst, stated: “In politics, every concession should be met with another. Just as the bounty on Sirajuddin Haqqani and two other members of the Islamic Emirate was lifted following the release of George Glezmann.”

Najib Rahman Shamal, another political analyst, said: “The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan also has demands, such as the lifting of economic sanctions and removal of names from blacklists. We hope the United States, in turn, will take steps to build trust and improve relations with other nations by releasing their citizens currently in custody.”

While the Islamic Emirate has not commented on the matter so far, it had previously released two American prisoners, Ryan Corbett and George Glezmann, as a goodwill gesture towards the United States.

Trump Administration: No Rest Until Detained Americans Brought Home
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Uncertainty Torments Afghan Refugees Facing Deportation from Pakistan

Monday marks the deadline for Afghans sheltering in Pakistan to leave the country, with the prospect of a dangerous future in Taliban-led Afghanistan ahead.

In a refugee settlement on the outskirts of Karachi, Pakistan, Afghan families gathered on Sunday to observe the festival of Eid al-Fitr — not in joyous celebration, but in quiet apprehension. On Monday, thousands who have called Pakistan home for generations face a deportation deadline and an uncertain, possibly dangerous future.

Since the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, millions of Afghans have sought refuge in neighboring Pakistan, fleeing waves of violence and instability. Over the decades, many have returned home, but conflict and political upheaval continue to send hundreds of thousands back.

The latest wave of displacement followed the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, after the collapse of Ashraf Ghani’s U.S.-backed government. They included refugees who were promised resettlement in the United States.

Many now face mandatory repatriation, with a March 31 deadline — a decision that was announced only last month, sparking widespread fear.

“As a fellow Muslim nation and a neighbor, Pakistan should show compassion and grant refugees more time to prepare,” said Haji Abdullah Bukhari, a community leader in Karachi. “Uprooting their lives in just a few days is impossible. Many have spent decades here, and now they are being forced to return to a country they barely know.”

Pakistan’s ongoing deportation of Afghan refugees stems from growing frustration with the Taliban administration, which it accuses of sheltering Pakistani militants, particularly Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or T.T.P., responsible for deadly attacks inside Pakistan. The Taliban deny these allegations, but tensions continue to rise.

In 2023, Pakistan expelled hundreds of thousands of Afghans — both documented and undocumented. However, most refugees awaiting resettlement in Western countries were largely spared thanks to diplomatic interventions.

Their fate, however, became increasingly uncertain in January when President Trump issued an executive order suspending all refugee admissions to the United States. This decision left thousands of Afghans stranded in Pakistan.

In February, Pakistan announced its plans to repatriate Afghans awaiting resettlement by March 31, along with 800,000 Pakistan-issued Afghan Citizenship Card holders and an unknown number of undocumented Afghan migrants.

“Many have told us they fear prison, torture, or even execution if Pakistan forcibly sends them back to Afghanistan,” said Moniza Kakar, a lawyer with the Joint Action Committee for Refugees, a Pakistani civil society network that advocates for international intervention and support to safeguard lives.

Avaaz, a global campaign that is currently working to support a group of 60 Afghan women’s rights activists stuck in Pakistan, has also voiced deep concern over the deportation drive.

Among those affected is Samia Hamza, a women’s rights activist and former law and international relations student under the U.S.-funded Denton Program. After the Taliban seized power, she protested against the ban on girls’ education, further endangering herself.

As conditions worsened in late 2021, she fled to Pakistan. However, she has since faced severe discrimination and economic hardship while awaiting U.S. resettlement through the special immigration visas for Afghans program.

The Pakistani government has ruled out extending the deportation deadline despite appeals from international organizations and the Taliban administration. Justifying its crackdown on Afghans, the government has drawn parallels to ongoing deportation efforts in the United States and various European countries.

Meanwhile, Philippa Candler, the Pakistan representative at the United Nations refugee agency, urged Pakistan and Afghanistan to ensure voluntary, safe returns. “Forced returns help no one and aren’t sustainable — many deported in 2023 have already returned.”

Many Afghans remember terrifying scenes of the 2023 expulsions, dreading the moment when police contingents might arrive — knocking on doors, rounding up families into trucks and transferring them to detention centers before forcing them into Afghanistan.

“We are all praying for a miracle that Pakistan will stop the deportations to a country my children have never seen,” said Naik Bakht, an Afghan refugee who arrived in Karachi in 1996. A father of three, all born in Pakistan, he said he fears for their future.

“I am terrified. What will we do in Afghanistan? Where will we go? How will we survive?”

Uncertainty Torments Afghan Refugees Facing Deportation from Pakistan
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Russian authorities move to lift the terrorist designation for the Taliban

Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s Supreme Court on Monday said it received a petition from the prosecutor general’s office to lift a ban on Afghanistan’s Taliban, who were outlawed two decades ago as a terrorist group.

The court said in a statement it would hold a hearing on the petition, submitted by Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov, on April 17. Russia last year adopted a law stipulating that the official terrorist designation of an organization could be suspended by a court.

The Taliban were put on Russia’s list of terrorist organizations in 2003. Any contact with such groups is punishable under Russian law.

At the same time, Taliban delegations have attended various forums hosted by Moscow. Russian officials have shrugged off questions about the seeming contradiction by emphasizing the need to engage the Taliban to help stabilize Afghanistan, which the group rules.

There is a deepening divide in the international community on how to deal with the Taliban, who have been in power for three years and face no real opposition. Afghanistan’s rulers have pursued bilateral ties with major regional powers.

In recent years, the Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan have removed the Taliban from their lists of terror groups.

There are U.N. sanctions on the Taliban.

Russian authorities move to lift the terrorist designation for the Taliban
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‘This is our home’: D-day for Afghans facing Pakistan deportation

By

Al Jazeera

Published On 31 Mar 2025

Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistan is the only home Mohammad Laal Khan has known. He was born here. He married here. His children were born here. He buried his eldest brother here.

But a late-night police raid in November last year shattered his sense of belonging.

Khan was born in South Waziristan, a tribal district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a few years after his parents fled the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Since the 1990s, the family — including Khan’s mother, four brothers, their families, and other relatives — has lived in the suburbs of Pakistan’s capital Islamabad in mud-plastered houses without electricity or other basic utilities.

Now he is on Pakistan’s list for deportation.

“It is as if being an Afghan is a curse upon our existence,” Khan, 36, told Al Jazeera on a recent March afternoon in the same room where dozens of police officers had stormed in, threatening to take away all the men.

Khan says, despite much pleading, four of his brothers were taken away and charged with living in the country “illegally”. Their ordeal ended after two weeks when a court granted them bail.

Now, hundreds of thousands of ACC-holding Afghans like Khan, having spent almost their entire lives in Pakistan, face expulsion from April 1.

“We don’t know anything about Afghanistan. We have lived here all our lives, made friends here, built our businesses here. If the government insists on throwing us out, we will leave, but we will return once again,” Khan said.

“This is our home.”

Pakistan’s deportation plan

Pakistan currently hosts more than 2.5 million Afghans, according to government estimates.

Among them, about 1.3 million possess a Proof of Registration (PoR) card, first introduced in 2006 and issued by the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, while another 800,000 hold an ACC, issued in 2017.

These documents were previously recognised as proof of legitimate residence in Pakistan.

Not any more.

In a two-page document issued in January, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office outlined a three-phase “relocation” plan.

The first phase targets the deportation of all Afghans now viewed as undocumented — including ACC holders. The second phase focuses on PoR cardholders, who have been granted relief to stay until June 2025. The final phase will address Afghan citizens who are awaiting relocation to third countries.

Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said the government was firm in its stance, despite pleas from the UNHCR and global rights organisations such as Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International.

“We have hosted Afghans in the country for four decades, showing our hospitality and generosity, but it cannot continue indefinitely. They will have to return,” he told Al Jazeera.

With the start of this new wave of deportations slated for around Eid — Pakistan celebrates the otherwise festive occasion on March 31 — the deadline has prompted criticism. Many see it as an effort to wrongfully demonise Afghan nationals by linking them to criminal activities.

In recent years, Pakistan has suffered from a series of deadly attacks by armed groups that Islamabad alleges operate from Afghanistan. This has also led to a spike in tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers.

“Pakistani officials should immediately stop coercing Afghans to return home and give those facing expulsion the opportunity to seek protection,” said Elaine Pearson, Asia director at HRW, in a March 19 statement.

Calling the deadline “unyielding and cruel”, Amnesty International also urged Pakistan to reconsider its decision.

“These opaque executive orders contravene the government’s own promises and repeated calls by human rights organizations to uphold the rights of Afghan refugees and asylum seekers,” said Isabelle Lassee, deputy regional director for South Asia at Amnesty International, in a March 26 statement.

But echoing Chaudhry’s sentiments, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has insisted that the government had “fulfilled its obligations” by hosting Afghans and was not bound to consult the UNHCR.

However, Qaiser Afridi, the spokesperson for the UNHCR, said they are concerned that among the ACC holders, there may be some individuals who may require international protection.

“We are urging the government to see their situation through a humanitarian lens. We also call for engagement between Pakistan and Afghanistan so that their return can be dignified and voluntary,” Afridi told Al Jazeera.

That alone, Afridi said, would ensure that “reintegration in Afghanistan is sustainable”.

‘Why are we being pushed away?’

Originally from Kunduz in Afghanistan, Khan’s family relocated to Islamabad in the early 1990s and has lived there ever since.

Khan’s room has rough, mud-plastered walls enclosing a modest space with folded mattresses, a simple rug, and a few personal belongings.

Sitting quietly in the room was Khan’s mother, Guldana Bibi, 71, with a wrinkled face, deep-set hazel eyes, and a scarf covering her head.

“I have lived in this country for four decades. My children, my grandchildren, were all born here. My husband was my last connection to Afghanistan, and he died years ago. Why are we being pushed away?” she said.

Along with his brothers, Khan ran a wood shuttering business, but twice in the last 10 years – in 2015 and 2023 – they were forced to stop work and sell what they had in their shops due to government crackdowns on Afghans. Khan claims he incurred losses of nearly 1.8 million rupees ($6,400).

“People ask why we haven’t done better economically. My response is, how can you when your life is repeatedly uprooted, or you’re forced to pay bribes just to exist?” Khan said, sitting cross-legged with his arms folded.

“Pakistan and Afghanistan are neighbours. That will never change. But hating each other will solve nothing, nor will sending people back.”

‘This cafe is my life’

Roughly 10km (6 miles) away, in a small but brightly lit and colourfully decorated cafe, Benazir Raofi sat waiting for customers. She has lived in Pakistan for 35 years.

Raofi’s father was part of the Afghan government, and when civil war erupted after the Soviet withdrawal, her family left the country. While her parents and seven siblings were able to leave for India, she was stopped. She was forced to stay back in Afghanistan.

“I was only 12 years old. My uncle took care of me before we eventually moved to Pakistan in December 1990,” Raofi told Al Jazeera.

Raofi says it is the Pakistani people who give her hope. After acquiring her ACC in 2017, she worked for international NGOs as well as a local travel agent.

In 2021, she won a grant for a project for her idea to create a community space for women and children, which eventually turned into an Afghan Women Solidarity Cafe and Restaurant in the summer of that year, before the Taliban took over Kabul.

The walls of the vibrant, but cluttered cafe are adorned with framed certificates, small decorative objects, and artificial vines with flowers. On one of the walls is a large photo of the Darul Aman, a historic three-storey palace in Afghanistan.

“When Afghan nationals come to visit the cafe, it reminds them of home,” Raofi said, with a smile. “I just wanted to provide a space for families, but after the fall of Kabul, my café became a sanctuary for so many Afghans. It not only allowed me to earn an honest living, but also to be helpful to the community,” she added.

However, she now fears what the government might do to ACC holders like her.

“I am a single woman, and I am who I am because of regular, common Pakistanis who have supported, protected and nurtured me,” she said, sipping her kahva, a hot beverage made with green tea leaves, cinnamon, and cardamom.

Raofi, who continues to run the cafe, says despite facing health-related setbacks and even theft at her house two years ago, her life in Pakistan was comfortable, and despite the government’s deportation plan, she was never bothered, nor did she worry.

Until this year.

“Since January, police have come to my cafe twice and told me I cannot work here, and I should leave the city. But why should I? This city is my home for the last 30 years. This cafe is my life,” she said.

With the deportation deadline looming, Raofi admits she has no contingency plan.

“I have no option. I have survived alone. Nobody wants to be a refugee, but what other country can I go to when Pakistan is all I know? I will die here, but I won’t leave.”

Source: Al Jazeera
‘This is our home’: D-day for Afghans facing Pakistan deportation
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Family urges Trump to release US citizen from Taliban Custody

The family of a U.S. citizen urges the Trump administration to secure his release from Taliban custody, demanding swift action.

Following the release of another U.S. citizen from Taliban custody, the family of Mahmood Shah Habibi, an Afghan-American detained by the Taliban for over two and a half years, has urged the Trump administration to intensify efforts for his freedom.

His brother, Ahmad Shah Habibi, expressed deep concern over the lack of information regarding Mahmood’s condition and location. The latest release has renewed hope among detainees’ families but has also highlighted the ongoing plight of Americans still held by the Taliban.

Sources familiar with the matter indicate that senior Taliban figures, including Sirajuddin Haqqani and Abdul Haq Wasiq, are likely aware of Mahmood Shah’s detention. This secrecy has raised concerns among human rights organizations, which have repeatedly called for transparency regarding detainees held in Taliban-controlled prisons. The exact number of U.S. citizens still in Taliban custody remains unclear.

Ahmad Shah Habibi said the U.S. State Department assured them of ongoing talks with the Taliban for Mahmood’s release. He criticized the Taliban for withholding information and blocking communication, adding that reports suggest Mahmood may be in a high-security Kandahar prison under Mullah Haibatullah’s control, he told Afghanistan International.

The recent release of Faye Hall, an American citizen, has drawn further attention to the issue. Hall stated that many female prisoners in Taliban custody see President Donald Trump as their only hope for freedom. This release marks the fourth American freed by the Taliban in 2025, following the earlier releases of Ryan Corbett, William McEntee, and George Glezmann.

According to reports, some of these releases were part of prisoner exchange agreements negotiated in the final days of Joe Biden’s presidency.

The Taliban has reportedly used detained U.S. citizens as leverage in diplomatic negotiations. While multiple Americans have been freed, there is no confirmation that the Taliban has made any formal or informal requests regarding Mahmood Shah’s release. The U.S. State Department has repeatedly expressed concern over American hostages in Afghanistan, reaffirming its commitment to securing their safe return.

In a separate development, following the release of two U.S. citizens, a Taliban foreign ministry spokesperson encouraged American companies to invest in Afghanistan’s mineral sector, particularly in rare earth minerals. Analysts suggest this could be part of the Taliban’s broader strategy to engage economically with the Trump administration while leveraging detained foreigners for political gains.

As the situation unfolds, families of detained Americans continue to seek answers and urge stronger diplomatic action. The U.S. government faces mounting pressure to prioritize the safe return of its citizens while navigating complex negotiations with the Taliban regime.

Family urges Trump to release US citizen from Taliban Custody
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Richard Bennett calls for Justice and Human Rights in Afghanistan’s Eid message

Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan, released a message on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, wishing the people of Afghanistan peace, dignity, and hope.

In his message, stated on the social media platform X on Sunday, March 30, Richard Bennett expressed his best wishes for justice and human rights, hoping that Eid would bring joy, resilience, and strength to the people.

His message comes at a time when Afghanistan continues to face a severe human rights crisis. Since the Taliban regained control of the country, widespread restrictions have been imposed on women and girls. The Taliban have removed women from public life, barred girls from education beyond grade six, and prohibited women from working in international organizations.

These actions have intensified the suppression of fundamental freedoms and have drawn strong reactions from human rights organizations and the international community. Many global bodies have condemned these restrictions and called for the restoration of basic rights for Afghanistan’s citizens, especially women.

Beyond social restrictions, the Taliban have also increased pressure on critics and opposition figures. Arbitrary arrests, suppression of free speech, and threats against civil activists, journalists, and political figures have made Afghanistan one of the most closed-off countries in terms of civil liberties.

Richard Bennett has repeatedly criticized this situation in his previous reports, urging serious action to protect the fundamental rights of the people of Afghanistan, particularly women and minority groups. He has emphasized the need for immediate international intervention to address these human rights violations.

The international community must take more effective steps to support the Afghanistan’s people, particularly women and girls. Diplomatic pressure alone is not enough; practical measures must be implemented to ensure the restoration of fundamental freedoms in Afghanistan.

The future of Afghanistan depends on the commitment of global leaders to uphold human rights and dignity. Without strong efforts to bring change, the hope for freedom and justice in the country will remain in jeopardy.

Richard Bennett calls for Justice and Human Rights in Afghanistan’s Eid message
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