ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — The Pakistani government plans to deport Zahra Mousavi, a human rights activist and member of the Afghan Women’s Justice Movement, to Afghanistan, the organization said Saturday.
Mousavi is currently being held by Pakistani police in Islamabad, according to the group, which has raised alarm over the increasing detentions and forced deportations of Afghan refugees.
In a statement, the movement accused Pakistani security forces of arresting Afghan refugees from their homes and the streets under various pretexts, without regard for the dangers they may face upon return to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
Pakistan has intensified its crackdown on Afghan refugees in recent months, expelling thousands despite warnings from human rights organizations about the risks they face. The Afghan Women’s Justice Movement warned that the ongoing deportations have devastated refugee families and placed journalists, activists, and women fleeing Taliban persecution at grave risk.
The group urged the international community, the United Nations, and human rights organizations to intervene, calling for immediate action to halt the detentions and find sustainable solutions for Afghan refugees, particularly women and civil society activists.
“Remaining silent in the face of this crisis means being complicit in a humanitarian catastrophe,” the movement said.
