British authorities have revealed plans to relocate 2,000 Afghan refugees from Pakistan to London using 12 flights.
Pakistan’s media outlets reported that officials from the UK’s Home Office engaged in discussions with Pakistani aviation authorities in Karachi concerning this initiative.
The plan involves relocating Afghans who had migrated to Pakistan following the withdrawal of US and NATO forces and were accommodated in Pakistan’s hotels at the expense of the US and NATO. They will be transported to London via special flights.
The transfer of Afghan refugees to London will commence on Thursday, October 26th, starting with the relocation of 200 refugees and will continue through 12 flights until the end of December.
American and NATO intelligence agencies have prepared the list of Afghans scheduled for transfer to London. This list includes the names of Afghans who collaborated with the United States and NATO forces during the war.
Earlier, British diplomats have warned that thousands of eligible Afghans face the risk of detention and deportation in Iran and Pakistan. As reported earlier, the UK ministers emphasized that qualified Afghans do not need to wait for residence approvals before coming to Britain.
Around 3,000 individuals are awaiting transfer to the UK in Islamabad, with hundreds facing a similar situation in Iran. Recently, Pakistani police raided a hotel where Afghan residents stayed under a UK-arranged lease, resulting in several detentions primarily due to visa expirations.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has given a deadline of November 1st for approximately 1.7 million Afghan immigrants to leave the country voluntarily or face forced eviction. This decision by the Pakistani government has raised concerns among human rights organizations.
