Increasing danger for believers in Pakistan & Afghanistan

Danger is increasing for believers in Pakistan and Afghanistan as freedom of expression is increasingly clamped down on and deportations continue to ramp up, with many facing life under Taliban rule.

Relations between the two nations, already infamous for their treatment of Christians, are hostile and this is perhaps reflected by the Pakistani state’s increasing rate of deportations and forced removals of Afghan refugees back across the border, leaving them facing ongoing Taliban rule.

A new report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has highlighted that over a million Afghans were removed from Pakistan last year, taking the total returned to Afghanistan since late 2023 to two million. Returns are believed to have continued this year, with over 77,000 deportations in January.

Many Christians are included among the number who now face life under some of the most extreme Islamist rulers in the world. Most are also thought to have converted from Islam, leaving them at risk of torture and execution, while many women and girls face potential sexual abuse and forced marriage.

Around two million Afghans remain in Pakistan and Open Doors sources hope Christians included in that total will be able to stay, even if that means paying a fee, with the difficulties faced by believers there being less brutal than those faced in Afghanistan.

An anonymous partner said in a press release: “It remains a highly sensitive situation which needs continued prayers and support. Sometimes, when people are detained by the police, there is a possibility to pay a fee to avoid deportation. Sometimes it’s possible to get legal help. Unfortunately, we know that a few Christians have been deported and contact with them is lost.

“Refugees are always at the mercy of their surrounding communities - landlords, neighbours and even fellow refugees. It is often a question of money. For example, official authorities are offering money for information about refugees and where they are hiding.”