Mumtaz Ahmed, a lawyer who fought the legal battle for 150 Afghan performers, told The Associated Press that the court order was the first of its kind and a big relief for his clients, who have lived in a state of uncertainty since 2023, when Pakistan launched a major crackdown on migrants in the country illegally.
The crackdown drew widespread criticism by U.N. agencies which said such forced expulsions of Afghans could lead to severe human rights violations — including family separations and the deportation of minors.
In the past 18 months, Pakistan has deported more than 800,000 Afghans who were living in the country without valid documents after entering the country through various border crossings since 2021.
Ahmed said under the court order, Pakistan is required to decide the fate of the applications of 150 Afghan musicians and singers in the next two months, and the Afghans were also entitled to register with the U.N. refugee agency to get the status of refugees.
“I am very happy and we are grateful to the court and we hope now we will not face any harassment and forced expulsions,” Heshmat Ali, an Afghan singer, said.
He said Afghan singers and musicians would not be safe if they were forced to go back.
Afghan refugees can live in Pakistan until June 2025, according to a government order last year.
Pakistan has long hosted an estimated 1.7 million Afghans, most of whom fled during the 1979-1989 Soviet occupation of their country.