Pakistan's government plans to deport some 800,000 Afghan refugees under its newly adopted Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan. DW met Afghan women afraid of deportation and life under conservative Taliban rule.
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00:00 Malhura was born in Pakistan, but her Afghan background means she faces deportation to
00:07 Afghanistan. She is deeply worried what that would mean for her future prospects.
00:14 What would we do in Afghanistan? The Taliban have restrictions on women. Girls can't leave
00:26 the house and go to work in Afghanistan. There is nothing there for us.
00:33 Here in Pakistan, women are free to earn a living. They don't normally wear a veil, but
00:42 they don't want to show their faces here. They fear Taliban repercussions in the event
00:47 they're forced to leave. Pakistan's government is planning to expel more than a million
00:55 undocumented migrants. Over 800,000 are from Afghanistan. Even people born in Pakistan
01:04 or those holding national identity cards are being deported. The second phase of expulsions
01:10 started earlier this week. Education is at the forefront of many women's minds. With
01:23 the Taliban in Afghanistan excluding most girls from attending schools.
01:28 We don't want to go back to Afghanistan. We can study here and find work. I can continue
01:34 with my education or teaching. If we went to Afghanistan where the Taliban have closed
01:38 schools to women, no educational work is possible.
01:42 I was born here. I don't want to go to Afghanistan. I want to study and become a teacher or a
01:52 doctor. This isn't possible in Afghanistan. I don't want to go there.
02:01 Afghans in Pakistan have set up their own communities. Many say they have fled from
02:06 Taliban rule, which is known for its deeply conservative and religious policies. But Pakistan
02:13 says the high number of Afghans presents a security risk amid an uptick in terror attacks.
02:22 For these Afghan girls, and the many like them allowed to study and work in Pakistan,
02:27 the future looks bleak.
02:29 *awkward silence*