Pakistani police detained Sulaiman Aryan, a journalist from Afghanistan, in Islamabad on Monday, sources told Amu TV, amid an intensifying crackdown on migrants that has increasingly affected journalists and media workers.

Pakistan has stepped up arrests of Afghan nationals in recent weeks, including reporters who fled Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in 2021, citing visa and documentation violations.

The Afghanistan Media Support Organisation (AMSO) said at least five Afghan journalists and media workers have been detained in Pakistan over the past two weeks. According to the group, Pakistani police arrested five members of one Afghan media family in Islamabad during the same period. AMSO said it was withholding the identities of some detainees due to security concerns.

Among those detained were journalist Samim Forough Faizi and cameraman Ata-ul-Rahman Shirzad, AMSO said. Three other members of the same media family had previously been detained along with their relatives in Islamabad.

Although those detained were later released following advocacy efforts, AMSO said the incidents highlight what it described as growing risks faced by Afghan journalists in Pakistan, including arbitrary detention, insecurity and the threat of forced deportation.

Dozens of Afghan journalists sought refuge in Pakistan after the collapse of Afghanistan’s former government, fleeing censorship, threats and reprisals linked to their work. Many have since lived in legal limbo, struggling with visa renewals and limited protection.

Pakistani authorities have largely halted visa extensions for Afghan nationals, rights groups say, leading to the detention of large numbers of refugees – including journalists – for lack of valid documents.

AMSO has urged countries that have pledged resettlement places, along with the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), European governments and international media rights organisations, including Reporters Without Borders, to take urgent steps to ensure the safety of journalists in Pakistan.

Pakistan has not publicly commented on the latest detention.