Prominent education activist Malala Yousafzai has expressed deep concern over Pakistan’s forced repatriation of Afghan migrants, warning that sending them back to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan would be “dangerous”.
In a series of posts on X, Yousafzai highlighted the dire situation of Afghan women and girls. “It is extremely dangerous to force Afghans out of Pakistan to suffer the Taliban’s brutal repression,” she wrote. “I am deeply concerned about the impact on the most vulnerable, especially women and girls.”
Yousafzai called the Taliban regime a “gender-segregated regime” in which women and girls are subject to severe abuse and intimidation. Girls are barred from attending school beyond the sixth grade, she said, with devastating consequences for their future. “Their safety and rights must come first,” she said.
Activists called on the Pakistani government to reconsider its deportation policies to protect Afghan women and girls from Taliban repression, and urged authorities to ensure Afghan girls who remain in Pakistan have a safe education.
Since the Taliban returned to power, the suspension of girls’ education beyond the sixth grade, widespread poverty and serious security threats have forced tens of thousands of Afghans to flee their homeland.
