Afghan journalist dies by suicide in Pakistan after US turns down plea for refugee status: Report

Islamabad [Pakistan], June 24 : An Afghanistan-based journalist died by suicide in Islamabad, Pakistan, after the US government turned down his application for refugee status, Khaama Press reported on Saturday.

According to local authorities, the Afghan asylum seeker died by suicide after the US government rejected his application for refugee status.

Saim, a journalist, waited nearly two years for his case to be processed because he had a P1 referral case to the US.

According to the report, the cause for his "suicide" was the United States' denial of his asylum plea.

Asking the UN for refugees and the government of Pakistan, the former Pakistani Senator, Afrasiab Khatak, tweeted, "Why are these Afghans, who have been displaced from their country after the collapse of the former government and the humanitarian crisis in their country, not being recognized as refugees by United Nations High commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Government of Pakistan? Cannot They?" according to Khaama Press.

Samiullah Jahesh was ready to sell his kidney to put food on the table for his family because he had been jobless for over a year after he fled Afghanistan.

Jahesh, a former reporter for Afghanistan-based TV channel, told local media, "I had no other option. I had no money or food at home."

Jahesh is one of several exiled Afghan journalists still living in deplorable conditions more than 18 months after the Taliban gained control of the country and drove hundreds of thousands of Afghans from their homes, as per Khaama Press.

Among those who fled were many journalists who left the nation as the Taliban crushed the once-vibrant independent media environment.

While some journalists were able to seek shelter in Europe or the United States, those who were unable to escape are now in a dire predicament. Their visas are soon to expire, and they are unable to find work due to the lengthy transfer process into a third nation, Khaama Press reported.

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