Pakistani Court Halts Deportation of Afghan Musicians

A four-day exhibition in Karachi showcased 5,800 handicrafts made by 3,545 rural women artisans, highlighting the transformative impact of training programs by the Sindh Rural Support Organization (SRSO) over the past 16 years. Artisans like Ponam Shaam Lal, who learned embroidery and crochet, expressed how these skills have improved their livelihoods and enabled them to educate their children. In a separate development, the Peshawar High Court intervened to prevent the forced deportation of over 100 Afghan musicians seeking asylum, citing threats to their safety from the Taliban regime, which criminalized their profession. The court ordered that the musicians' asylum applications be processed within two months, during which they cannot be deported. This ruling comes amid a broader crackdown on Afghan refugees in Pakistan, where over 800,000 Afghans have been forcibly returned since the Taliban's resurgence in 2021. The ruling is seen as a significant relief for the Afghan musicians, who have lived in uncertainty and fear of persecution.