Pakistani Police Detain Three Afghan Journalists in Islamabad Amid Migrant Crackdown

December 30, 2025 – Afghanistan/Pakistan – 

Pakistani authorities have arrested three Afghan journalists in the capital city of Islamabad, raising fresh concerns about press freedom and the treatment of refugee media workers amid an intensified crackdown on undocumented migrants. The detentions occurred in the early hours of December 30, 2025, when police reportedly raided a residence in the Faisal Town area and took into custody Zikrullah Yazdani, Ashiqullah Jalalzoi, and Atiqullah Rahimi. Official statements from Pakistani law enforcement have not been issued, and the precise rationale for the arrests remains unclear.

Sources familiar with the operation indicated that law enforcement broke down the door of the residence during the midnight raid, seizing the three journalists without providing a public justification for the action. The incident comes amid broader efforts by Pakistani authorities to locate and detain undocumented Afghan nationals living in Islamabad and surrounding districts as part of a heightened enforcement push that includes house-to-house searches. Dozens of Afghan citizens have reportedly been detained in recent weeks during these sweeps.

The arrests have drawn alarm from media advocates and civil society organizations, who warn that Afghan journalists living in exile are particularly vulnerable. Many of those detained in Pakistan fled Afghanistan following the Taliban’s return to power and the accompanying restrictions, intimidation, and threats to independent reporting there. These refugee journalists sought safety and the opportunity to continue their work abroad, but now face detention and potential deportation back to Afghanistan, where they risk persecution under the current regime.

Human rights and press freedom groups have repeatedly protested Pakistan’s increasing detention and deportation of Afghan journalists. According to recent reports, Pakistan has forcibly returned at least 20 Afghan journalists this year, in apparent violation of international protections against refoulement. Critics argue that the suspension of visa extensions and the aggressive enforcement actions place these journalists in grave danger, undermining their safety and curtailing free expression.

The Afghan Media Support Organization and other advocacy bodies have called on international and humanitarian institutions to pressure Pakistani authorities to safeguard the rights of Afghan journalists in the country. They emphasize that forced returns to Afghanistan could expose these individuals to arrest, intimidation, or worse under the Taliban’s restrictive media environment. The situation highlights the broader challenges faced by refugee journalists who, in fleeing one repressive context, encounter new threats in countries where they had hoped to find refuge.

Reference – 

https://amu.tv/218677/#:~:text=Pakistani%20police%20have%20detained%20three,Atiqullah%20Rahimi%2C%20the%20sources%20said.

https://8am.media/eng/pakistani-police-arrest-three-journalists-in-islamabad/