Germany’s Foreign Ministry has announced that the resettlement process for Afghanistan refugees in Pakistan will soon resume. Officials confirmed that “various review procedures” have restarted and staff have been deployed in Pakistan to facilitate the transfer.
Around 2,000 Afghanistan refugees in Pakistan hold official acceptance letters from Germany. However, as part of Islamabad’s campaign to deport “undocumented migrants,” 450 of them were detained and 211 forcibly expelled. Efforts are ongoing to secure the release of those still in custody and to transfer others from Afghanistan back to Pakistan to continue their resettlement process. Nearly half of those detained have now been freed.
Last Sunday, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said he would not bypass formal vetting and security procedures to speed up the process. However, Berlin has since shifted its stance, citing recent judicial rulings that influenced the government’s position.
Two advocacy groups, Pro Asyl and the Network for Local Staff Support, had previously filed criminal complaints in Berlin against Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, accusing them of negligence in preventing the deportation of vulnerable refugees from Pakistan.
Most of the refugees involved had previously worked with German government institutions or partner organizations in Afghanistan. With the Taliban in power, their lives are considered to be at severe risk, making their resettlement a pressing humanitarian concern.
