BERLIN — Berlin is reassessing whether Afghans stranded in Pakistan and awaiting resettlement under its admission programme will still be able to travel to Germany, according to Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt. The review comes as Pakistan escalates the deportation of Afghan refugees, including those with prior approval to move to Germany.
The United Nations reports that Pakistan has started deporting documented Afghan refugees ahead of its September 1 deadline for their departure. The policy could affect over one million Afghans, among them more than 2,000 individuals who have been approved for resettlement in Germany due to security risks under Taliban rule in neighbouring Afghanistan.
A source told Reuters that detentions of Afghans for deportation have continued even during Pakistan’s Independence Day holiday. In some cases, people with approved German admission are reportedly being taken to the Torkham border crossing into Afghanistan.
Dobrindt confirmed that certain Afghans included in Germany’s scheme have drawn the attention of Pakistani authorities. “We are reviewing whether these people can actually leave for Germany. Whether this happens depends on the outcome of the review process,” he said. Talks are ongoing between Berlin and Islamabad over the matter.
Germany’s admission programme for at-risk Afghans was launched in October 2022 by the then centre-left government to facilitate the evacuation of vulnerable people. However, the centre-right coalition that came to power after the February election has announced plans to close it. The programme had already been suspended pending a review.
Since May 2021, Germany has admitted around 36,500 Afghans considered vulnerable to Taliban reprisals. The current government says the scale of humanitarian migration is testing the country’s capacity to integrate newcomers.
On Wednesday, the foreign ministry stated it is in close contact with Pakistani officials and is using established emergency channels to prevent deportations of Afghans awaiting transfer to Germany. The interior ministry has not set a timeline for deciding the programme’s future but indicated a decision is expected soon. It remains unclear if Pakistan’s increased deportations will speed up that decision.