AJS-Delhi
AFGHAN JOURNALISTS SOCIETY
Reporting from Exile: The Resilient Voices of Afghan Media in India
Dozens of Afghan journalists, forced from their homeland, have not abandoned their profession despite the hardships of migration â they continue to report on the crises the world has started to forget.
Who We Are
The Afghan Journalists Society â Delhi (AJS-Delhi) is a community of Afghan media professionals who have been forced into exile since the Taliban's return to power in August 2021 and before. Our members, living their daily lives in exile across various cities in India, include veteran reporters, editors, photojournalists, and radio and television correspondents who continue their mission of independent journalism despite serious risks and displacement.
Our Mission
We have come together under one umbrella to amplify the voices of Afghan journalists in exile â ensuring the world does not forget the ongoing crises in Afghanistan. We advocate for press freedom, and as a recognized address for Afghan journalists in India, we strive to reclaim our lost rights and serve as a transparent bridge between our members and various human rights and media organizations, so that all our colleagues are rescued from uncertainty and can overcome the daily challenges of life in exile.
What We Do
Our work spans three critical areas: independent reporting on Afghanistan's media landscape and human rights situation; advocacy for the rights and protection of Afghan journalists in exile, especially in India; and establishing a collective identity as a recognized address for Afghan journalists in India to attract social support including legal aid and professional development for displaced media workers.
Why It Matters
The crisis of Afghan journalists in exile did not begin with the fall of Kabul; many of us were forced to migrate and seek refuge in India years before the recent upheaval, due to targeted assassinations and direct threats. But the great tragedy is that human rights organizations and international media bodies, by focusing on the post-fall waves, have completely forgotten the pre-fall media community and abandoned them in a shadow of absolute structural neglect.
Today, we find ourselves in a state of great uncertainty between the grinding dead-ends of life in exile, lack of access to the right to work, and this deep oblivion; that is why our gathering and solidarity under one umbrella is no longer a choice, but a vital tool for survival.
This unity gives us the power to have a single voice to advocate against this structural discrimination, redefine our professional identity, and by creating independent platforms, prevent our voices from being silenced and our expertise from fading into obscurity.