Afghan Female Singer Arrested In Pakistan After Visa Expiry

Her sister, Khushi Mahtab, said Wesal was detained by police and later transferred to the Haji Camp migrant detention centre in Islamabad. The family said she now faces the risk of forced deportation to Afghanistan.

Wesal has been living in Islamabad for the past three years with her sister and brother.

Her arrest comes amid an intensified crackdown on Afghan migrants in Pakistan, as authorities continue large-scale detentions and deportations of undocumented Afghans following recent border clashes between the Taliban and the Pakistani military.

Human rights groups have repeatedly warned that Afghan women particularly artists, journalists, and activists face severe persecution under Taliban rule if returned to Afghanistan.