We call on the Government of Pakistan to immediately halt deportations and ensure protection for those at risk.
Malala Fund is deeply concerned by the Government of Pakistan’s ongoing deportation of Afghan refugees and long-term residents — including girls, educators and women’s rights defenders — to a country where their rights are systematically denied. These actions violate international law, including the principle of non-refoulement, and place thousands of lives at immediate risk.
Recent reporting by The Guardian reveals that dozens of Afghan female activists and human rights defenders are among those facing forced return to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Many are now in hiding, fearing retaliation for their advocacy.
“Sending women and girls back to a regime that has erased them from public life is indefensible — and illegal,” said Sahar Halaimzai, Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy at Malala Fund. “These deportations breach international law and undermine Pakistan’s own legacy of refugee protection. Every forced return is a life in danger, a future denied.”
Under Taliban rule, Afghan women and girls are banned from education, excluded from employment and stripped of basic freedoms. Forcible returns not only endanger lives — they legitimise a regime built on gender-based persecution.
In January 2025, Malala Yousafzai delivered the keynote address at the Muslim World League International Conference on Girls’ Education in Islamabad where she condemned the forced return of Afghan refugees. “Deporting Afghan refugees — especially women and girls fleeing violence and abuse — not only endangers their lives, it dims the hope for Afghanistan’s future,” said Malala Yousafzai, co-founder of Malala Fund. “I urge the Government of Pakistan not to turn its back on those who came here seeking safety.”
Despite valid documentation or long-term residence, Afghans are being harassed, detained and expelled.
“Since the Taliban’s return in 2021, many Pakistanis have opened their hearts and homes to Afghan families in need, showing remarkable generosity and compassion", said Nishat Riaz, Chief Executive of Malala Fund Pakistan. “This is a moment to honour and uphold that spirit — not turn away from it. By standing with Afghan women and girls, Pakistan can continue to show its deep commitment to justice, humanity and the rule of law.”
Malala Fund continues to advocate for the recognition of gender apartheid as a crime under international law and for global accountability in response to the Taliban’s systematic erasure of Afghan girls and women. We call on the Government of Pakistan to immediately halt deportations and ensure protection for those at risk. We also urge the international community to expand resettlement pathways and increase support for displaced Afghans.
