The families of Afghan journalist Sayed Qasim Hashemi and filmmaker Hamed Ehsas are pleading for answers after the two men vanished in Islamabad, Pakistan, over a month ago. The two friends left their home on July 4 to buy a camera lens and have not been heard from since. Their relatives have repeatedly contacted Pakistani police and judicial authorities but have received no clear information about their whereabouts.
Hamed Ehsas’s wife confirmed the two men left together to purchase camera equipment, while Sayed Qasim Hashemi’s brother said the family has had no information for 36 days, despite approaching officials for help. The families reported that the vehicle the men were using was later located through its GPS system in the D-12 area of Islamabad, but neither Hashemi nor Ehsas was found in or around it.
Both men were living in Pakistan without valid legal residency, having traveled to the country with their families after the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021. Their disappearance comes amid increased pressure on Afghans living in Pakistan, including arrests, deportations, and uncertainty over legal residency. Many Afghans who left Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover are seeking resettlement or asylum in third countries.
The families have expressed deep concern for the men’s safety and are urgently calling on the Pakistani government, Islamabad police, and security authorities to treat the case as an urgent investigation and take all necessary steps to determine what happened to Hashemi and Ehsas.
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