While Britain has welcomed 21,500 Afghans as part of its resettlement programmes for former employees and people at risk, 70 per cent of them arrived when Kabul was evacuated by the chaotic airlift that coincided with the Taliban takeover.
Only 175 people have been resettled in the first six months of 2023, according to the Migration Observatory, which analyses UK Home Office statistics.
The United States has taken in 90,000 Afghans since August 2021 – again, the majority from the evacuation of Kabul.
Precise data on Afghans in Pakistan awaiting resettlement abroad is not available, but British media have reported that more than 3,000 Afghans are in Islamabad awaiting evacuation, while the German foreign ministry said 1,500 Afghans approved for asylum are still in Pakistan or Iran.
About 20,000 people recommended for asylum by US officials, NGOs and American media outlets are waiting in Pakistan for their cases to be examined, according to Refugees International.
Despite assurances from the Pakistan government that legitimate cases will not be deported, there are exceptions.
Last month, seven members of one family waiting to be reunited with a relative in Spain were deported, according to the Spanish Commission for Aid to Refugees.
Source: CNA
