Germany to begin admitting Afghans stranded in Pakistan

BERLIN: Germany is to begin the process of admitting some of the Afghans threatened with deportation from Pakistan whom Berlin had previously offered sanctuary, a government source said Tuesday.

More than 2,000 Afghans were left stranded in Pakistan after the government of conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz took office in May and froze a scheme meant to offer Afghans safe haven from the Taliban.

Pressure had mounted on the German government to reverse course in recent weeks as Pakistani authorities intensified a crackdown on Afghans living in the country without residency.

Read more: 200,000 Afghans left Pakistan since deportations renewed

Last week, the German government said around 450 Afghans waiting to come to Germany had been detained, of whom more than 200 had been sent back to their Taliban-run homeland.

The government source said on Tuesday that Afghans for whom “courts have found that Germany is legally obliged to issue visas” will travel to Germany “in stages” once they have cleared security checks.

No indication was given of how many people this would affect.

In several cases, German courts have found that those accepted under the government programme had received legally binding commitments and must be allowed to travel to Germany.

Read more: Pakistan expedites process to deport illegal Afghan nationals

IMMIGRATION RESTRICTED

According to the Airbridge Kabul initiative set up to help those affected, only those who have mounted successful court challenges have now been approved for travel to Germany.

They represent only a fraction of the total number stuck in Pakistan.

Airbridge Kabul accused Merz’s government of repeatedly dragging its heels and only acting when forced to by the courts.

The government had repeatedly “pushed deadlines until the last moment and thereby knowingly put people in danger,” it said in a statement.

The reception scheme was initially set up under the previous chancellor, Olaf Scholz, after the Taliban’s 2021 takeover.

Read more: Security forces eliminate 47 Khawarij along Pak-Afghan border

It was intended to provide refuge to those who had worked with German forces in Afghanistan or who were deemed at particular risk from the Taliban, for example journalists, lawyers and human rights activists.

Read more: Germany to restrict family reunifications, toughen citizenship rules

However, Merz made restrictions on immigration one of his key promises when taking office in May and his government has put the scheme under review.