KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Amnesty International has called on Pakistan to urgently investigate the disappearance of an Afghan journalist and an artist who went missing from Islamabad more than two months ago.
In an urgent action published on Friday, September 11, Amnesty said Pakistani authorities must establish the whereabouts and fate of journalist Sayed Qasim Hashemi and artist Hamed Ehsas and provide answers to their families. The organization said the circumstances of their disappearance raise concerns that they may have been subjected to enforced disappearance or arbitrary detention.
Hashemi and Ehsas, both Afghan nationals, have been missing since July 4 in Islamabad. According to their families, neither man has been reachable since their disappearance. The families have also said that police authorities refused to register cases concerning their alleged abduction.
The two men had left Afghanistan with their families after the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, fearing for their safety because of their work. According to information provided by their families to KabulNow, neither had valid residency status in Pakistan at the time of their disappearance.
The families said that the vehicle used by Hashemi and Ehsas was later located through its GPS in Islamabad’s D-12 area, but the two men were not found near the vehicle.
Amnesty said Pakistani authorities have an obligation to investigate the disappearance and inform the families about the men’s fate and whereabouts. The organization also called on authorities to ensure that any person detained in connection with the case is afforded due process.
The disappearances come amid increasingly strained relations between Pakistan and the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan. Although Pakistan was long viewed as an important supporter of the Taliban, relations have deteriorated since the group returned to power, particularly over Islamabad’s accusations that Afghanistan is allowing the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to operate from Afghan territory. The Taliban authorities deny the allegations. Tensions have also resulted in repeated clashes along the two countries’ border.
At the same time, Pakistan has continued a nationwide campaign to remove undocumented Afghans from the country. Islamabad launched its repatriation drive in late 2023, and millions of Afghans have since returned or been deported to Afghanistan.
Officials in Islamabad say around 2.4 million Afghans have either returned voluntarily or been deported since the repatriation plan took effect. Data from the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, indicates that more than 1.15 million Afghans returned from Pakistan during 2025 alone.
The deportation campaign has been criticized by rights groups and the UN, particularly over reports of arrests and expulsions involving Afghans with legal documentation or protection concerns. Amnesty International has also documented the deportation of Afghan refugees under Pakistan’s Illegal Foreigners’ Repatriation Plan.
The broader pressure on Afghans in Pakistan has heightened concerns among refugees, asylum seekers, journalists, activists and others who fled Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover. The disappearance of Hashemi and Ehsas has added to those concerns, with Amnesty urging Pakistani authorities to clarify what happened to the two men and to hold those responsible accountable.
