Peshawar, Nov 19, 2025: More than 300 Afghan artists currently seeking refuge in Pakistan have approached the Peshawar High Court, requesting legal protection against their forced repatriation to Afghanistan.
The petition lists the federal government, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the chief decretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as respondents. According to the filing, the petitioners, who include over three hundred singers and other performing artists, have been living in Peshawar as refugees after fleeing Afghanistan following the Taliban’s return to power.
They argue that continuing their profession in Afghanistan has become life-threatening under the present regime.
The petition highlights that the current Taliban administration has explicitly announced that music and artistic expression will not be tolerated in any form, leaving Afghan performers with no safe space to work or even live freely.
The applicants further stated that they are registered with the UNHCR as refugees and therefore enjoy recognized legal status during their stay in Pakistan.
The artists noted that although the Pakistani government formulated a new repatriation policy in 2023, Afghan nationals had already been granted official refugee status in 1993 by the UNHCR, a designation that, according to them, remains fully valid. They urged the court to intervene immediately and prevent the authorities from forcibly expelling Afghan refugees who fear persecution upon their return.
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