Afghan journalist, filmmaker missing in Islamabad for over a month
Synopsis
An Afghan journalist and a filmmaker have been missing from Islamabad for over a month, with their GPS-located vehicle found abandoned and Pakistani authorities offering no answers. Their disappearance coincides with Pakistan's most aggressive crackdown on undocumented Afghans in years — raising urgent questions about press freedom, due process, and the fate of Afghan exiles caught between Taliban rule and deportation.
Key Takeaways
Afghan journalist Sayed Qasim Hashemi and filmmaker Hamed Ehsas have been missing from Islamabad, Pakistan since 4 July .
Their vehicle was located via GPS in Islamabad, but neither man was found in or near it.
Both men were living in Pakistan without legal residency , having fled Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in 2021 .
Pakistani authorities have given the families no clear information on the men's whereabouts.
The disappearance coincides with Pakistan's order, issued 28 June , to arrest undocumented Afghan nationals from 10 July .
Amnesty International has urged the international community to halt what it calls the unlawful expulsion of Afghan refugees.
Afghan journalist Sayed Qasim Hashemi and filmmaker Hamed Ehsas have been missing from Islamabad, Pakistan since 4 July, with their families saying Pakistani authorities have provided no clear information about their whereabouts. The two men were last seen leaving home together to purchase camera lens equipment, according to family members who spoke to local media on Monday, 10 August.
What Families Have Said
According to the families, Hashemi and Ehsas departed together on 4 July and never returned. A search conducted via GPS later located the vehicle they had been travelling in within Islamabad, but neither man was found in or near it. Family members have since approached both police and judicial authorities in Pakistan, reportedly receiving no substantive response.
The families also disclosed that both men were residing in Pakistan without legal residency, having entered the country with their families following the Taliban's seizure of power in Afghanistan in 2021. Their disappearance has not yet been officially linked to Pakistan's ongoing crackdown on undocumented Afghan nationals, though the timing has drawn concern.
Context: Pakistan's Crackdown on Undocumented Afghans
The two men went missing amid a sharply intensifying Pakistani campaign against undocumented foreign nationals, particularly Afghans. Pakistan's Ministry of Interior issued an order on 28 June directing the immediate arrest of any Afghan national found living in the country without a valid visa, effective from 10 July.
In July, police in Charsadda city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa detained 40 undocumented Afghan nationals as part of the crackdown. Charsadda Deputy Commissioner Azmatullah Wazir confirmed that the detainees were transferred to a holding centre in Peshawar and would be deported through the Torkham border crossing after legal formalities. Wazir stated the operations would continue 'without discrimination' across the district.
Pakistan's deportation drive, first launched in 2023, was renewed in April 2024 when the government rescinded hundreds of thousands of residence permits for Afghans, warning of arrests for those who did not leave voluntarily.
Amnesty International's Warning
Amnesty International on 20 June urged the international community to halt what it described as unlawful expulsions of Afghan refugees. The rights group, in a post on X, stated: 'Millions of Afghan refugees are being expelled across the globe, and that number keeps climbing day by day. In host countries, they are facing arbitrary arrests and family separations; upon return, they are facing human rights violations amidst one of the most severe humanitarian crisis in the world.'
Amnesty added: 'The unlawful expulsions of Afghan people must stop, and people with international protection needs must be safeguarded as per international human rights law.'
Broader Pattern of Press Freedom Concern
The disappearance of two Afghan media professionals — a journalist and a filmmaker — raises particular alarm given the vulnerability of Afghan journalists who fled Taliban rule. Notably, both men belong to a community that faces compounded risks: stateless in Pakistan and endangered if returned to Afghanistan. The families have urged Pakistani authorities to provide urgent clarity on their fate. As of the time of reporting, neither man has been located.
Point of View
While framed as a legal immigration measure, has repeatedly ensnared vulnerable Afghans with no safe country to return to. For media professionals who fled Taliban persecution, deportation is not an administrative outcome — it is a potential death sentence. International pressure, so far, has not moved Islamabad.
NationPress
10 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are Sayed Qasim Hashemi and Hamed Ehsas?
Sayed Qasim Hashemi is an Afghan journalist and Hamed Ehsas is an Afghan filmmaker, both of whom had been living in Islamabad, Pakistan after fleeing Afghanistan following the Taliban's return to power in 2021. They have been missing since 4 July, according to their families.
When and where did the two men go missing?
Hashemi and Ehsas were last seen on 4 July in Islamabad, Pakistan, when they left home together to buy camera lens equipment. Their vehicle was later located via GPS within Islamabad, but the men were not found in or near it.
Have Pakistani authorities provided any information?
As of 10 August, Pakistani police and judicial authorities had provided no clear information to the families about the whereabouts of either man, despite the families approaching multiple agencies.
How does this relate to Pakistan's crackdown on Afghan nationals?
The disappearance occurred amid Pakistan's intensifying campaign against undocumented Afghan nationals. On 28 June, Pakistan's Ministry of Interior ordered the immediate arrest of Afghans without valid visas from 10 July. Both missing men were reportedly living in Pakistan without legal residency.
What has Amnesty International said about Afghan deportations from Pakistan?
Amnesty International on 20 June urged the international community to stop what it called the unlawful expulsion of Afghan refugees, warning that deportees face human rights violations upon return to Afghanistan. The organisation said millions of Afghan refugees globally are facing arbitrary arrests and family separations in host countries.
