Afghans flee Pakistan en masse: “We’d live here our whole life if they didn’t send us back”

Pakistan is set to begin forcibly removing 1.7 million migrants, many of them Afghans who fled the Taliban, Sky News reports.

Thousands of Afghans are fleeing Pakistan ahead of the government’s Wednesday deadline for undocumented or unregistered foreign nationals to leave the country.

Last month, Pakistan’s interim government threatened to round up, detain and deport those who do not leave the country voluntarily. Islamabad blames Afghan migrants for a surge in armed attacks, mainly in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the southwestern province of Balochistan on the border with Afghanistan.

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I am selling prints in support of Luminus and their mission to integrate refugees into the United States. In particular, their mission to support Afghan refugees fleeing the Taliban government is close to my heart.

As an OEF veteran and neighbor to multiple Afghan refugee families, I want to see them succeed.

If you haven’t read the reporting in the Baltimore Banner about the difficulty Afghan refugees are facing here in Baltimore, I strongly urge you to. It underscores why organizations like Luminus and the Afghan Alliance of Maryland are critical.

If you are looking to put some art on your wall and support a great cause, consider buying a print from my Darkroom page. 100% of all sales will be donated to Luminus. If you can't swing buying a print right now, consider making a small charitable donation directly to Luminus, instead.

If there is a photo of mine you would like to see added, drop me a message and let me know!

Thank you.

talibans ban on music

music is an important part of many peoples lives, including mine. but how would it feel if you were apart of the many people who can no longer listen to music in afganistan because of the talibans ban on music? it’s been illegal since 1990 for radios and tv stations to stream music, according to rferl.org. the reasoning for this is because music supposedly corrupts the people of afganistan and creates bad influences on those who listen to music on a daily basis. if caught listening or creating music (through instruments, etc) you could get beaten or jailed as punishment.

Evacuated Afghan women's team included 'false' footballers - BBC News

This is honestly such a depressing, shameful read. And this look is not doing the bbc any favours when it comes to their so-called impartiality

The fact that a few of these women seeking asylum aren't actual footballers should not be seen as a problem; the problem is our cruel and racist asylum system that has closed all 'legal routes' into the country for the vast majority of people seeking asylum

But instead this investigation chooses to frame the few women fleeing a regime we know to be oppressive as somehow 'cheating the system'

I've no doubt that any footballers left behind are frustrated and terrified - but they shouldn't have had to compete for safe haven in the first instance

Tensions come to a head with a proposal to limit the entrance of children of war refugees who are already in the Netherlands and to make families wait at least two years before they can be united.

Afghans leave Pakistan ahead of deadline

A huge number of Afghans headed to the Pakistani border to return home hours before a deadline set by the Pakistani government. Illegal residents must leave the country or face deportation,

The deadline is part of a new crackdown on migrants, according to Islamabad. However, the measure applies to Afghans, who comprise the majority of migrants in Pakistan.

Pakistani officials warn that people staying in the country illegally will face arrest and deportation from November 1. UN agencies say there are more than 2 million undocumented Afghans living in Pakistan, at least 600,000 of whom have fled since the Taliban took power in 2021.

The campaign comes amid strained relations between Pakistan and the Taliban rulers. Islamabad accuses Kabul of closing its eyes to militant Taliban allies who take refuge in Afghanistan to organise attacks in Pakistan. The Taliban denies the accusations.

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Afghan refugee boys wrap themselves with blankets to avoid the evening cold while sitting in a wooden cart as they look at a group of girls playing hopscotch in a field on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, on November 30, 2012.

Source: Muhammed Muheisen

Meet Mohammad Reza Sarvari. He was a 14 year-old Afghan boy who joined the protests in Tehran and was killed by the Islamic Republic. They shot him and the Islamic Republic is once again lying about how he was killed. 

14 years old and fighting for freedom, women’s rights, human rights and democracy. 14 years old and his life ended. 

How can the Islamic Republic kill innocent children and sleep soundly at night? How can they be considered human beings? So many children have been killed. They all should be alive, living free and in a safe country. That’s the least our children deserve. 

Shame on the Islamic Republic. 

What does it mean to save lives?

In the aftermath of a harrowing war in his cherished homeland, Iraq, Dr Rasheed Fakhri found himself at a crossroads. To stay or to flee.

Little did he know that this uncertain path would lead him to serve his fellow Iraqis for nearly 17 years, far from the familiar streets of home.

This is the story of his unchartered journey with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), where his dedication and compassion played a pivotal role in reshaping lives amidst the chaos of post-war Iraq.

From growing up in war-torn Afganistan and refugee camps in Pakistan to studying medicine at Britain's Cambridge University and becoming an NHS doctor, Dr Waheed Arian’s inspirational life story is a testament to the remarkable contributions refugees make to the their new home countries.

Born in war-torn Afghanistan, Waheed Arian's first memories are of bombs. His first-hand experience of the power of medicine inspired him to dedicate his life to healing others.

But how does a boy with nothing, hope to become a doctor in the National Health Service? Stephen Fry has described 'In the Wars' by Dr. Waheed Arian as 'a thrilling and absorbing read from first to last. What a life and what an inspiration.'

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Racism and refugee status: Afghan students overcome educational roadblocks in Pakistan

Read More at: https://www.dawn.com/news/1795314/racism-and-refugee-status-afghan-students-overcome-educational-roadblocks-in-pakistan