Afghan family arrives safely in Saskatoon after fearing deportation from Pakistan

Pratyush Dayal · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 30, 2024 8:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: July 30

A journalist and refugee who had fled to Pakistan with his family and was almost on the brink of being deported back to Afghanistan says he feels born again having arrived safely in Saskatoon.

Mohammad Muqim Mehran says he was in a critical situation while hiding in Pakistan. He fled there in June 2022 around the fall of Kabul to the Taliban, and his family followed in June 2023.

“I was on a run, going from one city to another city and from one home to another, and right now I’m here, I feel safe and not in a dire situation,” Mehran told CBC News Monday. He arrived in Saskatoon with his wife and three kids on Friday.

“When I was in Pakistan, I was really worried about my life, food, and everything. But right now, I feel safe and secure.”

WATCH | Mehran’s family arrives at the Saskatoon International Airport:

Journalist Mohammad Muqim Mehran and his family fled to Pakistan to avoid persecution by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Under threat of deportation back to Afghanistan, he began seeking asylum in any country that would take them. The family was accepted by Canada and arrived safely in Saskatoon in late July 2024.

Last fall, the Pakistani government abruptly ordered all foreign nationals without valid documents to leave by Nov. 1, 2023, or face deportation. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, there are presently more than 3.1 million Afghans living in Pakistan.

The UNHCR estimates that 669,900 Afghans, an increase of almost 75,000 people since June when the total tally sat at 595,200 Afghans, have returned from Pakistan to Afghanistan since mid-September last year, with 28,700 of those forcibly deported after the November deadline. 

Mehran said police would come to the refugees’ houses during the night, treating all Afghan refugees like terrorists regardless of whether they had legal documents. Last fall, he was desperately seeking asylum in any country as being a journalist put him in a precarious situation.

“Being a journalist in exile and working at a newspaper that is against the Taliban policies faced me more dangers,” he said. “Every day, I was in danger of being deported back to Afghanistan. If I was deported, the Taliban would arrest me.”

The danger still looms for Mehran’s elderly parents in Pakistan, as well as for relatives and colleagues in Afghanistan. He said he is worried that his journalism will put them in perilous circumstances.

Mehran said the Taliban “have direct access to the city currently” his parents are living in. He still remembers the call he received one evening after publishing news about them.

“They called me and told me that we know where you are living, and it’s easy for us to arrest you and bring you back to Afghanistan.

“During the night I was not able to sleep, I just relocated and went to one of my relative’s … living in Pakistan, I called it living in limbo, was the worst days of my life because there I was in a dire situation, but worse situation makes human being more powerful.”

LISTEN | A group in Saskatoon has been working to help a family escape Taliban rule in Afghanistan:

Host Theresa Kliem speaks with Mark Bigland-Pritchard about his efforts with the Mennonite Central Committee to bring Mohammed Muqim Mehran to Saskatoon.

Now, finally away from the threats, the 31-year-old said he feels like he has “been born for the second time” and is hopeful for his children’s future. He is grateful to his sponsors — the Mennonite Central Committee — who have been fundraising for him.

Mehran said he wants to continue to raise awareness as a journalist but first wishes to bring his parents to safety. He said he is interested in continuing his education and volunteering here.

“I really appreciate the Canadian government, Canadian people, and I hope that I will be able to repay this kindness that was shown to me.”