Family members of Syed Qasim Hashemi, a journalist, and Hamid Ehsas, a filmmaker from Afghanistan, say that the two have been missing in Islamabad, Pakistan for over a month.
At least three sources have stated that the two were friends and were together at the time of their disappearance.
The families of these two Afghan citizens issued a statement saying that after 8 PM on July 4, their communication with Hashemi and Ehsas suddenly ceased, and repeated attempts to contact them were unsuccessful.
According to the families, after losing contact, they used GPS tracking to locate the vehicle of the two. The vehicle was found in the D-12 area of Islamabad, but Hashemi and Ehsas were not inside or around it.
Hamid Ehsas’s wife stated that on July 4, Mr. Ehsas left home with Syed Qasim Hashemi to buy camera lenses, and there has been no news of them since.
She added that she has approached the Pakistani courts and police, but no leads have been found regarding Hamid Ehsas and Syed Qasim Hashemi.
Syed Qasim Hashemi’s brother also mentioned that he has not heard from his brother for 36 days.
He said, “No one has answered us. We went to the police and the courts, but in these 36 days, we have received no response because the situation for migrants in Pakistan has become very difficult.”
The families of Syed Qasim Hashemi and Hamid Ehsas are concerned about their safety and well-being.
Members of these families have urged the Pakistani government, Islamabad police, and security agencies to seriously and urgently investigate the disappearance of Syed Qasim Hashemi and Hamid Ehsas and keep their families informed about the progress of the investigation.
These two cultural activists have disappeared in Pakistan amid an increase in the expulsion of Afghan citizens from the country. Pakistani police are detaining and deporting Afghan citizens.
Some Afghan citizens residing in Pakistan are refugees who fled to Pakistan due to security threats in Afghanistan and are seeking asylum in refugee-friendly countries.
