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Pakistan: Evacuation of Afghans
08 November 2023
Lead MP
Johnny Mercer
Debate Type
Ministerial Statement
Tags
Foreign Affairs
Other Contributors: 23
At a Glance
Johnny Mercer raised concerns about pakistan: evacuation of afghans in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Government Statement
The Government have acted decisively to relocate eligible Afghans following the collapse of Afghanistan. The Afghan relocations and assistance policy (ARAP) and the Afghan citizens resettlement scheme (ACRS) will continue to facilitate relocation under these programmes. However, due to changing security assessments, the requirement for settled accommodation before travel has been removed. The MOD is developing a new relocation plan to move approximately 2,800 ARAP-eligible personnel by December 2023. Families will initially be accommodated in service family accommodations or transitional housing if necessary.
Alison Thewliss
SNP
Glasgow Central
Question
The Minister's answer does not reassure constituents about their Afghan relatives in Pakistan, who have been threatened with imprisonment if they do not leave. One constituent’s sister and her five children face this threat while other family members were returned to Afghanistan without contact. Another constituent seeks clarity on the status of his family for charter flights from Islamabad and warns against spreading unverified rumours.
Minister reply
This is not an issue of delayed paperwork but a response to changing circumstances in Pakistan. The Government will accelerate the process to relocate eligible Afghans back to the UK to meet our commitments. We aim to ensure that those entitled are protected from detention or deportation.
Tim Loughton
Con
East Worthing and Shoreham
Question
Concerned about policy changes in Pakistan affecting Afghan refugees, asking if there are conversations with the Pakistani Government regarding aid payments to ensure safety for Afghans until relocation is possible.
Minister reply
The Foreign Office is working hard on existing agreements with Pakistan and driving through protection for those eligible to be relocated to the UK. We aim to bring these people back as promised from the start.
Stephen Kinnock
Lab
Aberavon Maesteg
Question
The UK Government failed to honour its promise to resettle Afghan refugees who supported British aims in Afghanistan, leading to many being crammed into hotels and evicted without consultation. The Prime Minister halted flights from Pakistan to bring more Afghans despite thousands stuck there with a right to resettlement. What is the current status of these flights? When will they start and end? Are assurances received from the Pakistani Government regarding refugees not being deported before UK flights are completed? Are there cases of forced return to Afghanistan by Pakistan, and if so, what steps are taken to bring them to safety?
Minister reply
The Minister denies false statements about local authority engagement and personal commitment to ensure Afghan families do not sleep homeless. He confirms the Government seeks guarantees from Pakistan that those entitled to be in the UK will not be deported. The Foreign Office is working on influencing Pakistan's wider policy regarding Afghanistan.
Vicky Ford
Con
Chelmsford
Question
With over 1.5 million Afghan people facing expulsion from Pakistan, what representations are the Foreign Office and allies making to Pakistan to reconsider? What support is given to those in a humanitarian crisis on the border?
Minister reply
The Minister distinguishes his role in ensuring Afghans entitled to UK resettlement are not subject to wider Pakistani policy. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is engaged daily with Pakistan to influence its policies regarding Afghanistan.
Diana R. Johnson
Lab
Kingston upon Hull North
Question
Welcoming the decision, can the Minister clarify engagement with local councils on accommodation for Afghan refugees? What does 'transitional accommodation' mean in the context of not using hotels as per Home Office policy?
Minister reply
The policy against hotel use remains but is flexible when people are at risk of deportation. The Government aims to ensure families entitled to be here have suitable accommodation and integration support.
Kevin Foster
Con
Torbay
Question
Congratulating the Minister on moving many from hotels this summer, what type of suitable family accommodation is planned for new arrivals? What are specific plans for large Afghan families?
Minister reply
The cohort will be divided with flexible funding to create larger properties through knocking through adjoining ones. Service family accommodation will house the majority while innovative schemes ensure proper accommodations.
John McDonnell
Lab
Hayes and Harlington
Question
With ongoing issues in Afghan case processing, can the Minister provide personal attention to a constituent's delayed case due to mental health stress?
Minister reply
The Minister welcomes emails for personal cases and commits to doing everything possible to look after these people, acknowledging the complexity of some cases.
Mark Logan
Con
Bermondsey and Old Southwark
Question
Quoting The Guardian's figure of 3,000 Afghans in UK-funded hotels in Islamabad being raided by Pakistani authorities, what is the Minister's assessment? What discussions has he had with the high commissioner in Pakistan?
Minister reply
Daily contact between MoD and FCDO officials and the high commissioner ensures awareness. The Government aims to get assurances for those entitled to UK resettlement from pre-approval, ensuring none are deported back.
Wendy Chamberlain
Lib Dem
North East Fife
Question
I congratulate the hon. Member for Glasgow Central (Alison Thewliss) on securing this urgent question, particularly as it has given us some clarity today. The Minister has talked about accommodation. What I am hearing from my country contacts through the all-party parliamentary group on Afghan women and girls is that the focus seems to be on families, and that only families are being evacuated. That means that single women, many of whom have worked in politics and teaching, and those from the LGBT+ community are feeling particularly vulnerable, and they are most at risk of reprisals if they are deported back to Afghanistan. Can the Minister clarify what is happening for those single applicants?
Minister reply
There is no de-prioritising of single applicants. Often they are easier to reintegrate and to accommodate in the United Kingdom because they are not a wider family. There are lots of stories going around the people in this cohort because they are very scared and vulnerable. Obviously, the hon. Lady is absolutely right to raise this with me, but that is not something that I have seen. None the less, I will go back and look for it.
Question
I chair the all-party parliamentary group for Hazaras and, since the Taliban took over, Hazaras in particular face increasing risk of targeted killings, discrimination and persecution. What specifically are the UK Government doing to help the Hazaras stranded in Afghanistan so that they can resettle in a third country, or indeed in the UK, and start a better life?
Minister reply
I completely recognise my hon. Friend’s passion in this space, but I have to be disciplined about what is in my remit and what is not. That is a question for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and I know that it is engaged on that issue. The Foreign Secretary will have heard his question today. If not, I will make sure that he has seen those remarks and that my hon. Friend gets an answer.
Question
I am assuming from what the Minister is saying that, since this egregious change in policy, he and his colleagues in Government are having regular discussions with the Government in Pakistan. During those discussions, have he and others sought any assurances that people in Pakistan who have live applications to come to Britain will not be deported back to Afghanistan?
Minister reply
The entire strategic objective that we are trying to achieve is to make sure that those who are entitled to be in the UK, who have served with UK forces, who are part of the ACRS pathway and who are part of the cohort that we are talking about are not deported back to Afghanistan. We are working night and day to get those assurances. I am determined that we will get them and that we will look after those people properly.
Question
I welcome the Minister’s comments and the work that he has done on this topic over the past few years, but I am trying to understand the resources that he has available to him. It would be helpful if he could update the House on that point. May I also ask whether any proportion of the aid budget is likely to be allocated to him for this specific issue?
Minister reply
At this moment, funding on this issue has not been agreed. Certainly, when I was doing this programme in the summer and clearing the hotels, the budget and resources were not a constraint. We had a bumpy start and the task was challenging, but we got there in the end: all those hotels were cleared and people were put into accommodation. The Prime Minister is committed to that, and I know that we will do the same over the next few months.
Question
I have raised before in this Chamber the case of a very talented Afghan man who worked for the British Geological Survey, which has a base in my constituency. He fled to Pakistan with his daughters, fearing for their lives, but now he has lost all hope. He was accepted for Pitting but did not make it to the airport, yet he has been cruelly rejected for ARAP, despite having worked for a Department for International Development project. He kept the British team safe in Afghanistan, and I want to know why we cannot include him and his daughters in the evacuation, before he is handed over to the Taliban.
Minister reply
To be candid with the hon. and learned Member, I am happy for her to write to me about this case, but staff and civil servants are dealing every day with heartbreaking cases of people who fall either side of the line, and there is no deliberate decision to exclude anybody. We are trying as best we can in an incredibly difficult environment to respond to the applications and ensure that those who are eligible to be in the United Kingdom are here. If that individual is eligible for the ARAP scheme, that scheme is still open and he must apply to it. I am aware that some in the 333 and 444 communities in Afghanistan have been rejected and they are not entirely sure why. We are re-engaging in that process to ensure that it has integrity, and I am happy to look at the hon. and learned Member’s case again.
Seema Malhotra
Lab Co-op
Feltham and Heston
Question
Just 66 people have been resettled in the UK under ACRS pathway 2, and eligible applicants who have the support of the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Pakistan are still waiting for their paperwork to be processed, including the mother and brothers of a constituent of mine, a courageous female journalist who has been granted asylum. Their lives are at demonstrable risk from the Taliban and they now face the horror of deportation. I have written to the Home Office repeatedly about this case. They meet all the criteria. They would have a place to live if they were able to reach here. Will the Minister meet me about this case to see what can be done?
Minister reply
Sure. There are three different pathways to ACRS, and clearly some of them are larger than others. The latest immigration statistics show that by the end of June, 9,800 people had been granted settled status under ACRS. I accept that there are pathways where we could do more in this space, but the idea that we have only relocated about 60 people is not chiming with the data that I see every day. I want to ensure that everyone who is entitled to be here is here. I will go out and make the case for who is entitled and who is not, and we will do everything we can to ensure that those who are eligible are here. I am happy for the hon. Member to write to me about that case, and I will look at it personally.
Stella Creasy
Lab Co-op
Walthamstow
Question
Let me try the Minister with this one, because he says that he wants to ensure that no one who is entitled to be in the UK is deported. My constituent is a British citizen whose children and wife are currently in Pakistan, threatened with deportation to Afghanistan. They were invited to the Baron Hotel. An explosion meant that they were unable to get there. Mr Ullah is terrified because he worked with the allied forces, but because he is a UK citizen his family are not eligible under either ARAP or ACRS. Family reunion visas would cost more than £20,000. Return to Afghanistan means certain danger. He is penalised by his status as one of our citizens. In the light of his bravery and service to our armed forces, will the Minister use the budget that he says is not a problem to waive those fees and bring Mr Ullah’s family here to safety?
Minister reply
Immigration policy in this country is very clear, and the immigration policy outside ACRS and ARAP, which are what I have been asked specifically to deal with, is a matter for the Home Office, as the hon. Member knows. I recognise her question—I genuinely do—but it is a question on immigration policy for the Home Office. I will work night and day to ensure that everyone who is eligible under ARAP and ACRS is returned to the United Kingdom, in line with our promises.
Question
The Minister has said a number of times that the Government have sought assurances from the Pakistani authorities that they will not target those Afghans who are eligible to come here. Has he received such assurances? If not, and if he does not, what is he going to do about it?
Minister reply
I can confirm that I have received verbal assurances from the Pakistani authorities that those individuals are not going to be deported. I have to work night and day to ensure that that line is held, and I have made it clear to this House and to the country that we do not want to see any one of them deported. As I have said to the right hon. Member, and to others, I do not want to see that line crossed. If it is, I will return to the House and make a statement on it.
Rachael Maskell
Lab Co-op
York Central
Question
The Hazari family of my constituent, a minor brought here under the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees scheme, have had to flee Afghanistan and they have been waiting and waiting for their ACRS application to be processed. When can they expect that to happen, and when can they expect to be brought safely to the UK?
Minister reply
I obviously cannot comment on an individual case, but if the hon. Lady writes to me today, I will personally look at her case and write back to her.
Luke Pollard
Lab Co-op
Plymouth Sutton and Devonport
Question
I am glad that the Government are now acting on Afghans who have been in limbo for a number of years in Pakistan—an issue I raised with the Minister on 19 September. May I ask about the service family accommodation that he is intending to use for those Afghans? We know that there is a real crisis in the quality of service family accommodation, so can he guarantee that none of the service family accommodation that the Ministry of Defence is providing will have broken boilers, leaky roofs or black mould, which plague so much SFA that we have put our troops and their families in?
Minister reply
This Government have put £400 million of extra spending into SFA; I recognise the problems with the quality of that SFA, which have been a challenge over many years. I do not want anybody coming back into the UK and living in service family accommodation that is not suitable for them. The Ministry of Defence is bending over backwards, as is my right hon. Friend the Minister for Armed Forces, to ensure that this stuff is online and suitable. Investment is going in, but I am determined that individuals will live in housing that is suitable for them, and I will personally be visiting them to make sure that they are.
Alex Sobel
Lab Co-op
Leeds Central and Headingley
Question
I have been trying to get a group of interpreters trained by the University of Leeds from Pakistan to here for the last two years. It would be useful if the Minister could let me know who is eligible for the flights and how they will be contacted. The Minister also said that he had visited every hotel in the country. I have a hotel in my constituency and I do not remember him informing me that he was coming, but I would welcome him coming to that hotel, because everybody now has to be in a shared room and the facilities are not good.
Minister reply
I would be interested to learn which hotel that is, because I do not want to see people in shared rooms, so I will speak to the hon. Gentleman after this urgent question. If he writes to me with the specific details of those interpreters, I will assess his case and determine which pathway is best to apply for and their certain eligibility to do so.
Janet Daby
Lab
Lewisham East
Question
I have been contacted by multiple constituents who arrived in the UK via the ARAP scheme. They are extremely worried about their relatives, the hardship they have experienced and the threat of danger with the recent events in Pakistan. These cases range from somebody who worked for the British armed forces for eight years, a family member who is pregnant and has two children, and a judge who has previously imprisoned members of the Taliban. Will the Minister agree to look at those cases, and will he also say whether he has the resources to resolve these matters urgently?
Minister reply
I will look at every case. There is no policy decision to block those who are entitled to be in the UK from being in the UK. Many of us take this personally, and we will see this duty through. Of course I will look at every case and ensure that a decision is made fairly.
Ruth Cadbury
Lab
Brentford and Isleworth
Question
My constituent’s parents fled Afghanistan for Pakistan. On appeal, they were granted adult dependent relative visas to join their family here, but before that decision was made, their Pakistan visa expired and they were forced to return to Afghanistan. Due to their being Hazaras, the fear of travel, their disabilities and medical needs, and the policy of the Pakistan Government, they cannot return to Pakistan to collect their paperwork to travel to the UK. Will the Government consider issuing some form of digital visa or travel document, so that they can fly to the UK and join their family here?
Minister reply
I am more than happy, as I have said, to look at individual cases. We are dealing with competing pressures here of UK visas and Pakistan visas running out, but I can only reiterate what I have said: where there is a duty to these people, we will see it through, and I will work night and day to achieve that endeavour.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Question
I thank the Minister for his answers to our questions. Last time, I asked him about a specific family, and we sent the information through. I want to reinforce the point about the forced deportation of that gentleman and his family, who are also Hazaras. In his job, he assisted the British Army for seven to eight years. For 18 months, I have been endeavouring to get them into the United Kingdom because of the risk of harm to them as targeted attacks continue. Just this morning, it has been reported that there was an attack on a bus taking people from Pakistan back into Afghanistan—it was blown up. The danger is clear—for me, anyway; I see it very simply. This cannot continue for that gentleman, his wife and their four children. We have a job for them, a house for them and a future for them. We just need the Minister’s help. Will he help me?
Minister reply
The hon. Gentleman has already written to me about a case, which I think we have resolved. As I said, I am more than happy to look at individual cases. The eligibility criteria in these pathways are clear, and officials are working hard to ensure that they are as inclusive as they can be, but I will always look at personal cases and I look forward to receiving an email from the hon. Gentleman.
Shadow Comment
Alison Thewliss
Shadow Comment
The Minister's response offers no reassurance to constituents concerned about their Afghan relatives in Pakistan. Shadow asks for clarity on the number of Afghans waiting for UK Government processing and details about eligibility criteria for charter flights from Islamabad, where people are warned not to go outside due to arrest risks. Calls for clear information and assurances from the government.
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