Over 250 Rights Groups Urge Germany To Relocate Stranded Afghan Refugees From Pakistan

2025-12-10 05:07:42

(MENAFN- Tribal News Network)

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More than 250 human rights organizations and international NGOs have called on the German government to immediately ensure the transfer of Afghan citizens stranded in Pakistan who had been promised asylum in Germany. The appeal was made through an open letter signed by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Save the Children, and several church-based groups.

According to the organizations, around 1,800 Afghan citizens are currently living in Pakistan. They had been approved under a refugee program launched by Germany's previous government, but the scheme was frozen after Chancellor Friedrich Mertz took office in May, leaving these individuals waiting for relocation to Germany. The letter strongly emphasizes that these people must be transferred out of Pakistan before the end of the year to protect them from the risk of being forcibly returned to Afghanistan.

The NGOs noted that a large number of those affected are women and children. Several individuals had previously worked with the German military in Afghanistan, while others are journalists and human rights activists. The letter stressed that, in the spirit of humanitarian values during the Christmas season, it is essential to move these people to a safe location. So far, only about 350 Afghan nationals have managed to reach Germany following legal battles.

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The German government has stated that Pakistan has assured it that Afghan citizens included in this scheme will not be deported until the end of the year. However, the likelihood of extending this deadline appears low, increasing concerns about delays in their relocation.
Meanwhile, the latest data from the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, shows that more than 2.18 million Afghan nationals are currently living in Pakistan. Of these, 1.22 million are registered, and only 35 percent reside in refugee camps. Among the registered Afghan refugees, 1.09 million hold Proof of Registration (PoR) cards, although this figure does not include more than 138,000 unregistered family members.
UNHCR further reported that the total number of registered asylum seekers in Pakistan stands at 115,652, with 115,390 of them being Afghan nationals. The agency said that recent verification processes have improved the accuracy of these figures.

It is also reported that just a day earlier, 543 PoR holders, 114 ACC holders, and 488 undocumented individuals were repatriated to Afghanistan via the Torkham border.
According to the Ministry of Interior, so far 176,132 PoR card holders and 62,747 ACC holders have returned to Afghanistan through Torkham, along with 666,542 undocumented Afghan citizens. From the Angoor Adda border, a total of 1,241 PoR holders, 496 ACC holders, and 8,447 undocumented individuals have also been sent back to Afghanistan.

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