Updated November 7, 2023 at 2:50 p. m. IST
A foreign media watchdog is urging Pakistan not to deport more than two hundred Afghan journalists who fled their country after the Taliban retook the country in August 2021, when U. S. and NATO forces withdrew after more than two decades of war.
A foreign media watchdog is urging Pakistan not to deport more than 200 Afghan journalists who fled their country after the Taliban retook the country in August 2021, when U. S. and NATO forces withdrew after more than two decades of war.
Reporters Without Borders’ appeal comes a week after Pakistan launched a crackdown on undocumented foreigners, including around 1. 7 million Afghans.
The crackdown began on Nov. 1 after the expiration of a one-month grace period for unregistered foreigners to leave the country voluntarily. Nearly 270,000 Afghans have returned home to be forcibly arrested and deported. Among them were other people who had lived in Pakistan for about 4 decades.
Some said they had never registered with the U. N. refugee enterprise because the Pakistani government was hospitable and they didn’t believe they would be asked to leave at such short notice.
Among the Afghans still in Pakistan are about 200 sleuths as well as about 25,000 Afghans waiting to be resettled in the United States under a special refugee program. Under U. S. rules, applicants will first have to settle in a third country (in this case Pakistan) in order for their application to be processed.
The US embassy in Islamabad has sent letters to deportation seekers, but the Pakistani government says they have no legal standing.
Reporters Without Borders said in a statement on Monday that some Afghan journalists in Pakistan “have been subjected to harassment and extortion by Pakistani police, arbitrary arrests, pressure on landlords to evict Afghan tenants and lengthy visa application procedures. “
He said some had sensitive data in Afghanistan and sought refuge in Pakistan for safety reasons.
“Sending them back to Afghanistan would obviously put them at great risk. We call on the Pakistani government to refrain from arresting them and from covering and defending them in Pakistan.
The Pakistani government has said it will not deport any Afghan bloodhounds at risk to its country, but will only read about cases of “real sleuths running. “
Many Afghan journalists lost their jobs after the Taliban takeover. Women journalists face even more demanding situations at home due to Taliban work bans and restrictions.
Restrictions on bloodhounds in Afghanistan have drawn complaints from foreign human rights groups.
In May, the United Nations declared the Taliban’s intimidation, threats and attacks against Afghan journalists unacceptable. Under the previous Taliban regime, in the late 1990s, they banned most of the country’s television, radio and newspaper channels.
Reporters Without Borders ranks Afghanistan 152nd among countries in its latest World Press Freedom Index.
Posted on November 7, 2023 at 02:50 p. m. IST
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Updated on November 7, 2023 at 2:50 p. m. IST
As the cricket groups of India and Australia embark on the final showdown of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023, U. S. Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti visited the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad to witness the magic of cricket. On Sunday, the U. S. envoy landed in Ahmedabad and expressed his excitement about watching the World Cup. Earlier this week, Garcetti met with the legendary cricketers who helped India win the World Cup in 1983.
“I’m very excited to be here today to see India make history. Maybe the most productive team we’ve ever seen,” Garcetti told local reporters after landing in Ahmedabad. His love for the Indian cricket team in several Indian games is lately being played out against Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. While India beat New Zealand by 70 points in the semi-finals, Australia booked their ticket to the final by beating South Africa.
Met the OGs of cricket ? – 1983 legends @therealkapildev, Sunil Gavaskar, @iRogerBinny, @JimmyAmarnath, @KirtiAzaad and @RaviShastriOfc! They blew me away with their stories about India’s first Cricket World Cup victory! Supporting #TeamIndia for the World Cup final on Sunday. … pic. twitter. com/71aTKDIuax
On Friday, Garcetti met with the Indian cricketers who helped India win the World Cup in 1983. “I met the OG of cricket: 1983 legends @therealkapildev, Sunil Gavaskar, @iRogerBinny, @JimmyAmarnath, @KirtiAzaad and @RaviShastriOfc. “The U. S. envoy wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “I was blown away by your stories about India’s first Cricket World Cup win!Supporting the #TeamIndia for Sunday’s World Cup final. #MenInBlue, you’re on fire, let’s bring this Trophy home!@BCCI,” he added, sharing video of the meeting. In the video, Garcetti noticed how he signed a cricket bat that was eventually handed to veteran cricketer Kapil Dev, who led the team to victory in the 1983 World Cup. The harvest also cut the cake to commemorate the 40th anniversary of India’s first World Cup victory.
I met the OGs of cricket ?: 1983 legends @therealkapildev, Sunil Gavaskar, @iRogerBinny, @JimmyAmarnath, @KirtiAzaad and @RaviShastriOfc!They blew me away with their information about India’s first win in the Cricket World Cup!Supporting the #TeamIndia for Sunday’s World Cup Final. . . . pic. twitter. com/71aTKDIuax
Posted on November 19, 2023 at 06:25 pm IST
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