ISLAMABAD/ TEHRAN (SW) – A number of Afghan journalists in Iran and Pakistan, expressing their concern about the unfavorable situation, the suspension of the process of examining their asylum cases and the risk of arrest by the police, say that they are afraid of returning to Afghanistan.
Two of the Afghan journalists in Iran told Salam Watandar that more than 80 Afghan journalists are living in this country with fear of deportation, and there is no supporting institution for their financial for spiritual support in Iran.
Maqbool Nouri, one of the Afghan journalists in Iran, says: “We have been in Iran for more than a year. The processing of cases/files is slow, visas have expired, we live illegally, recently Iranians’ treatment of immigrants has worsened. There are a lot of economic problems and the field of work is not available.”
Asif Akbari, another Afghan journalist in Iran, also says: “Jobs are not allowed, waiting is hard and difficult, and those whose visas have expired may be arrested at any moment. Pressure against immigrants has increased recently, the situation of journalists is really pathetic. No institution cooperates with them. If they return to Afghanistan, they will face security problems.”
On the other hand, a number of Afghan journalists in Pakistan are also worried about their asylum cases not being processed.
Emil Habibi and Hamed Pikar, two Afghan journalists who have been in Pakistan for more than a year to deal with their asylum cases, say that the lack of work opportunities has increased their economic problems.
Emel Habibi says: “We are facing many challenges. So far, no ease has been created, the visas are not extended, the Pakistani government misbehaved, our visas are not being processed.”
Hamed Pikar says: “I have been out of Afghanistan for more than a year, the institutions that were supposed to transfer us, their work is slow. This issue of deportation worries us, and the issue of returning will be challenging for us.”
Meanwhile, Hadi Ghafari, a member of the leadership of “Afghan Journalists in Exile” in Islamabad, says that according to the information of this organization, 200 Afghan journalists are currently waiting for their asylum cases in Pakistan.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the Minister of Interior Affairs of Iran announced without specifying a specific time that illegal Afghan immigrants should be expelled from this country.
Earlier, the Minister of Interior Affairs of Pakistan has also given a deadline for illegal immigrants in this country until November 1 this year to leave Pakistan, and a number of journalists who are in Pakistan say that their visas have run out and now they live here illegally.
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