PESHAWAR: More than 300 Afghan artists currently residing in Pakistan have filed a petition in the Peshawar High Court seeking protection from forced repatriation to Afghanistan.
The petition names the federal government, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), and the Chief Secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as respondents.
The applicants, mostly singers and musicians, argue that they fled Afghanistan after the Taliban returned to power, making it extremely dangerous for them to continue their artistic professions.
According to the petition, the current Taliban administration has openly declared that music will not be tolerated under any circumstances, placing artists’ lives and livelihoods at risk. The petitioners stated that they are registered as refugees with the UNHCR and have been legally residing in Pakistan as migrants.
The artists further argued that although the Pakistani government introduced a new repatriation policy in 2023, Afghan refugees had already been granted official refugee status in 1993 by the UNHCR, a policy that remains valid. They requested the court to intervene and prevent their forced removal from Pakistan.
Comments are closed.