These three Afghan female activists are among the 1.4 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan who are facing risk of deportation. They say Pakistani police have tried to detain them several times.

"The police came and banged on the door. They knocked hard several times and broke one of the locks. We thought the door could break anytime, and we would be arrested. It was a very difficult day. We prayed. The police finally left when they saw that the apartment was dark, the doors locked, and the fans were not running," Hosseina Rafi, an Afghan activist based in Pakistan, told DW.

After the Taliban took power in August 2021, girls were banned from school beyond the sixth grade and women's jobs were severely restricted. Nearly 100 edicts on restricting women's freedom have been issued since then, according to the UN.

Afghan women who fled to Pakistan and Iran now face deportation amid mass expulsion orders.

These activists are planning a civil protest in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, on August 15 — exactly four years after the fall of Kabul. 

Far from home, these activists say they hum songs about Afghanistan and count the days and nights until they can return — without fear of Taliban persecution.