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What Challenges Do Afghan Female Journalists Face in Pakistan?
January 23, 2025
Khalida Niaz
Opportunities for Afghan journalists to work in Pakistan are almost nonexistent.
"Reaching Pakistan through Torkham was a very difficult journey, during which there were many challenges in life. I had kept my identity hidden so that no one would recognize me," said Muzdalifa Kakar, an Afghan female journalist. Muzdalifa Kakar explains that she arrived in Pakistan on December 7, 2022, after a challenging journey.
Female journalist Muzdalifa Kakar says that after the Taliban's takeover, life became very difficult for women in Afghanistan, including herself, who worked with media or international non-governmental organizations. Muzdalifa mentions that she had a visa, but still, reaching Pakistan was very hard. Apart from the difficulties on the way, she also faced numerous challenges upon arriving in Pakistan. "We journalists found ourselves in a strange dilemma, where we couldn't go back to Afghanistan, nor could we live peacefully here."
Muzdalifa says that in addition to security problems, she also faced economic challenges. There are almost no job opportunities for Afghan journalists in Pakistan, which has led them to struggle with economic issues. Life becomes very difficult in exile, especially when there is no work. After the Taliban's return to power in August 2021, the doors to education for girls were closed in Afghanistan, and they were also not allowed to work. The Taliban also shut the doors of media for women, telling them not to appear on television screens. Meanwhile, some female journalists began receiving direct threats, causing many to leave both their country and their jobs. Many of these women turned to Pakistan, some of whom have gone to foreign countries, while others are still residing here.
Muzdalifa Kakar lives in Islamabad and hopes to move to a country where she can be granted all basic human rights. She says that whenever the Pakistani government sets a time for Afghan refugees to leave, they become fearful, wondering where they will go if expelled from Pakistan, as their lives are at risk in Afghanistan. She stated that their problems have not diminished. Currently, a major issue for Afghan female journalists is the extremely slow process of obtaining visas for traveling abroad. As a result, they are under psychological pressure, with much time passing while many journalists wait for their visa process to be completed so they can move to a safe country.
According to Afghan journalists, there are about 500 Afghan journalists residing in Pakistan, but there is no information about how many of them are female journalists. Most of these journalists live in Peshawar and Islamabad. Mina Akbari is also one of the Afghan female journalists. Like Muzdalifa Kakar, Mina Akbari moved to Pakistan after the Taliban's takeover. She lived for some time in Peshawar but later started living in Islamabad. Mina Akbari also hopes to move to a country where she can live peacefully. She is waiting for her visa to be processed so she can leave from here.
There Are Almost No Job Opportunities for Afghan Journalists in Pakistan
While discussing the challenges faced by Afghan refugees, especially Afghan female journalists, in Pakistan, Mina Akbari stated that Afghan journalists face difficulties in their own country, but when they migrate to another country, their problems are doubled.
Mina Akbari stated that she has been living in Pakistan for nearly three years and is facing many challenges here. Among the Afghan journalists who have arrived, they all face difficulties in finding work. Some journalists work online, but many are unemployed. Mina Akbari mentioned that there are almost no job opportunities for Afghan journalists in Pakistani media. She also said that in Pakistan, Afghans not only face difficulties in securing jobs, but if any Afghan wants to start a business, they are unable to do so because doing business here becomes very expensive. Mina Akbari added that the biggest issue Afghan journalists face right now is the inability to obtain visas. In Islamabad, they are waiting for their visas to be processed so they can begin their journey.
When and How Did the Arrival of Afghan Refugees in Pakistan Begin?
The arrival of Afghan refugees in Pakistan began in 1979 after the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), by 1981, their number had reached 2 million, and by 1990, it had increased to 3.2 million. After the Soviet Union's withdrawal, during the 1990s Afghan civil war, refugees continued to arrive in Pakistan.
After the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, the total number of Afghan refugees in Pakistan exceeded 5 million. After the fall of the Taliban’s first government in 2002, around 1.5 million Afghans returned, and by 2012, the number had decreased to 2.7 million. Over the next decade, more Afghans gradually returned to their country. In 2021, after the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, about 700,000 Afghans once again sought refuge in Pakistan.
According to the 2023 census, the number of Afghans residing in Islamabad is 192,353, with 939,878 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 310,832 in Punjab, and 145,875 in Sindh.
Additionally, 474,812 are living in Balochistan and 52,056 in the Islamabad. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the total number of undocumented Afghans in Pakistan is 4,229,000, with 52.6% residing in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 24.1% in Balochistan, 14.3% in Punjab, 5.5% in Sindh, 3.1% in Islamabad, and 0.3% in Azad Kashmir.
Are Afghan Journalists Unable to Find Rental Homes?
In Peshawar, Miska Safi, affiliated with an international organization, says that journalists who migrated from Afghanistan to Pakistan are facing many difficulties here. These journalists were active in Afghanistan, but once someone migrates, their status is that of a refugee, and this problem also exists for Afghan journalists. "Here, Afghan journalists are neither receiving the salaries nor the jobs they used to have. They are facing security issues, the police come and detain them, they cannot find rental homes, and there are health issues as well."
Miska Safi has reported extensively on the challenges faced by Afghan journalists. She states that Afghan journalists cannot continue their work online either due to security concerns, and their freedom to work has been taken away.
According to the data from the media rights organization Freedom Network, nearly 250 Afghan journalists have migrated to Pakistan, many of whom have since moved to the U.S. and Europe, while some are still waiting for their visas.
Gohar Ali Khan, Coordinator for Freedom Network and a senior journalist in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, stated that the major issue faced by Afghan journalists was the expiration of their visas in Pakistan. Their visas had expired, and there was a fear that they would be deported from Pakistan, but due to efforts from Freedom Network, they were granted permission to stay.
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