Afghan journalists in Pakistan faced with grim uncertainties

ISLAMABAD (SW) – Fearing persecution, many journalists fled Afghanistan and took refugee in Pakistan upon the rise to power of the Taliban’s Islamic Emirate in Kabul.

Though, a number of journalists, human rights and civil activists have left this country for sanctuaries in the west, hundreds of journalists are still spending difficult days and nights in Pakistan after over a year of waiting and suffering.

Shukriya Siddiqui, who has worked with various media outlets in Herat for about a decade, told Salam Watandar that she was not only a German local worker, but also has a P2 candidate for US visa and came to Pakistan legally a year ago, but still remains deprived of a visa.

Shukriya, who is accompanied by her husband and three children, says that she used to give advice to others on how to control mental illnesses, but the economic and living problems in Pakistan and the unfortunate life have now infected her with this disease.

“I can not control myself. Lately I’ve been feeling down. I call myself unlucky and think that everything has been damaged and will not be rebuilt.”

Mohammad Younus Qari Zada, who has worked with the media in Samangan for years, is worried about his unknown fate even after almost a year has passed. He says that the period of his visa has expired and now the government of Pakistan does not issue new visas nor can he return to Afghanistan.

According to him, on the one hand, the government of Pakistan and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in this country do not issue immigration cards to Afghans, and on the other hand, they do not process their cases quickly, which has caused psychological problems.

“I am suffering from stress and depression. When I sit alone, my anxiety increases, I lose weight and lose my appetite. When I sit with my friends, I don’t have the joy and laughter that I used to have in Afghanistan.”

Qari Zada added that he had registered in the UNHCR agency almost a year ago, but after nine months, he only received one interview call and his other affairs are still pending.

Fazilah Joya is another Afghan journalist who faces severe mental and emotional pressures in Pakistan. He says that he was working with the local media in a province of Afghanistan and after the rule of the Islamic Emirate, he left his family in the country and went to Pakistan, but now there is misery there.

According to Joya, not only this, but hundreds of other Afghans, mainly journalists, are facing an uncertain fate and severe economic and psychological problems: “Our mental situation is bad. We do not know what will happen to us and it is very painful for us.”

These journalists say that Pakistan has warned all Afghans to get their permits by the end of this year and leave the country, otherwise they will be imprisoned.

Two other Afghan journalists, who have worked for years with different media in Kabul and Urugan, also told Salam Watandar on the condition that their names are not published, that they are suffering from their uncertain fate in addition to the economic, social and security pressures in Pakistan.

Germany has recently announced that through a new program, it will accept 1,000 Afghans every month, including journalists, to go to this country, but based on the information, this excludes the journalists who are in Pakistan and other third countries.

Journalists based in Pakistan also criticize this decision of Germany and say that these countries are keeping them away from their programs based on their past commitments, instead of giving them priority.

We tried to get the opinion of the UNHCR in Pakistan about this, but we did not succeed despite our efforts.

On the other hand, organizations supporting Afghan journalists and media also show concern about the situation of journalists in Pakistan and other neighboring countries.

Zarif Karimi, the head of the Free Media Support Association of Afghanistan, in an interview with Salam Watandar, criticized the international community, especially the international support organizations for journalists, who have not fulfilled their promises in solving the problems of journalists.

He said that if the current indifference of the international community and international support organizations for journalists continues, Afghan journalists who have worked for years for freedom of speech and media in Afghanistan will see severe suffering in third countries.

ENDS

Share: