Keeping lights off: Undocumented Afghans go underground in Pakistan

Saleh Zada, 32, a singer and songwriter, who was born in Badakhshan province and later moved to Kabul for his education, plays a music composition on his mobile harmonium app during an interview with Reuters, in Karachi, Pakistan November 4, 2023. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro

KARACHI, Pakistan (Reuters) - After living in Pakistan for years, thousands of Afghans have gone into hiding to escape a government order to expel undocumented foreigners because they fear persecution under a Taliban administration in their homeland, rights activists say.

"The gate is locked from the outside... we are locked inside, we can't come out, we can't turn on our lights, we can't even talk loudly," said a 23-year-old Afghan woman, speaking online from a shelter where she said dozens of others had holed up until earlier this week before moving on to a new hideout.