Situation Of Afghan Refugees In Pakistan Has Worsened, Says Germany

Germany has expressed concern over the mass deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan, saying that their situation in the country has deteriorated significantly since 2023.

Currently, more than 3,000 Afghan refugees who have received German admission are in Pakistan.

Germany has come under fire in recent months for its slow process of accepting Afghans. Human rights groups say that the country's bureaucratic delays have put vulnerable people at risk.

However, the German government says that it is in close contact with Pakistani authorities and is constantly working to support eligible refugees.

The German government, through the German Association for International Cooperation (GIZ), houses and finances eligible asylum seekers in guest houses in Pakistan.

On December 31, 2024, Pakistani security forces detained six Afghan asylum seekers who had been accepted by Germany, including a former local employee of the German government, and deported them to Afghanistan. However, two of them were able to return to Islamabad with German support.

The German Foreign Ministry announced that Pakistan's deportation of Afghan refugees "is a matter of concern to the federal government".

The Foreign Ministry added that the German embassy in Islamabad is in close contact with Pakistani authorities to facilitate the speedy return of the deportees to Pakistan.

The ministry stressed that people who are currently undergoing asylum procedures in Germany or other countries are not the target of these deportations.

The German Foreign Ministry also announced that all people under the care of the German government in Pakistan will receive letters of support from the German embassy in Islamabad to prevent their arrest and deportation.

After the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban in August 2021, more than 36,000 Afghans, mainly local employees, have been resettled in Germany, and about 3,000 others are currently in Germany to process their asylum cases.