• 6 months ago
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.
Transcript
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*

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