Pakistan apprehends approximately 280 Afghans from their admission initiatives
In a bid to secure the situation of Afghans detained in Pakistan, the German government is actively working to address the urgent needs of those awaiting departure under federal admission programs.
High-Level Diplomacy
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has confirmed that Berlin is in high-level talks with Pakistani officials. The goal of these discussions is to ensure protection for those still awaiting relocation and to provide immediate support to those already returned to Afghanistan.
Support for Detained Afghans
The German government is focused on providing rapid assistance to those who have been deported or detained in recent days. This includes humanitarian support and diplomatic efforts to prevent further deportations.
Legal Action and Criticism
German rights groups, such as Pro Asyl, have taken legal action against the government, accusing them of abandoning Afghans who were promised asylum. This pressure aims to prompt the government into taking more decisive action to secure the release and safety of these individuals.
Despite these efforts, the situation remains challenging due to the suspension of some German resettlement programs and the ongoing deportation drives by Pakistani authorities.
Challenging Situation
A journalist with an admission offer and his family members have been brought to a detention camp by the Pakistani police. Long-term, Islamabad plans to deport three million Afghan women and men. Raids have taken place in several accommodations, resulting in the arrest of several families.
A security check is carried out for each individual case regarding the intake of these Afghans. Kabul Air Bridge is receiving constant appeals for help, reporting use of force by Pakistani security forces and family separations.
The events in Pakistan might not be exclusively related to general measures against migrants and refugees from Afghanistan, but could also be targeted against Afghans in the German admission program.
Since the German Embassy in Kabul has been closed since August 2021, they are undergoing a screening process in Pakistan. The Federal Ministry of the Interior has employees in Pakistan for individual examinations of each person in the admission programs.
More than 2,000 Afghans are currently waiting in Pakistan for a departure to Germany as part of various admission programs. Pakistan has been massively deporting unregistered Afghan refugees since the end of 2023, and since April, it has also been deporting registered people.
Afghans in the German Admission Program
Approximately 350 former local forces of German institutions with their families are among the Afghans in these intake programs, according to the Federal Ministry of the Interior. Federal Minister of the Interior Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) stated that there is contact with these people through the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) and they are being supported.
The coalition government of Union and SPD stopped intake programs for Afghans at the beginning of May. These Afghans are either former local forces or considered particularly endangered.
Observers believe that Pakistan is using mass deportations to increase pressure on the Islamic Taliban in Afghanistan. Pakistani authorities have temporarily detained several Afghans with a German intake approval in the past months.
Around 280 Afghans who were waiting for their departure to Germany have been arrested. Approximately 35 of the arrested Afghans have already been deported to Afghanistan.
The first goal is to ensure the protection and safety of particularly endangered persons. The German government's efforts are a testament to their commitment to providing a safe haven for those in need, despite the challenges posed by the current situation.
- Amidst the ongoing discussions, the German government is also exploring diplomatic avenues to address the plight of Afghans in Pakistan, extending beyond the realm of general-news and crime-and-justice to politics.
- Concurrently, rights groups within Germany are actively advocating for the protection of Afghans in the German admission program, raising concerns about their safety and potential relocation, thereby intertwining politics with crime-and-justice.
