The UK government has been criticised for its slow progress in evacuating Afghan nationals who worked with British forces and are now stranded in Pakistan.
Only two of the 1,049 applicants who have been offered refuge by the UK have been brought to safety in the past three months, according to The Independent.
The majority of those who remain in Pakistan are interpreters who worked for the British army. They are currently living in hotels run by the UK government, with temporary Pakistani visas.
The UK government has said that it will only transfer the Afghan nationals to the UK if they can prove they have private accommodation and can show they have the funds to support themselves.
However, many of the Afghans say they are unable to find accommodation in the UK, as they are not allowed to work or travel outside of Pakistan.
They are also concerned that their visas will expire before they are able to move to the UK, leaving them at risk of being deported back to Afghanistan.
The situation has been criticised by politicians and charities, who have called on the UK government to do more.
Shadow defence secretary, John Healey, said the government had a “moral duty” to assist the Afghans.
“Bringing only two ARAP-eligible individuals to the UK in three months is simply shameful,” he said. “It leaves hundreds of Afghans fleeing the Taliban stuck in Pakistan hotels without hope or proper support. Ministers must fix the failing Arap scheme.”
Labour MP, Dan Jarvis, who fought as a soldier in Afghanistan, said the government had failed to honour its commitment to the Afghans, leaving them “in limbo in Pakistan”.
“Ministers need to get a grip on the situation and allow them safe and legal passage to the UK,” he said.
Currently, thousands of Afghan nationals who have been living in hotels across the UK since arriving from Afghanistan after the return of the Taliban, are at risk of going homeless after the government notified them to leave.
Johnny Mercer, veteran’s minister, said last Friday that the UK has a “duty” to house evacuated Afghan nationals. But he urged them to “manage their expectations”, as many have refused to accept being accommodated in some place, such as away from London.
Steve Valdez-Symonds, from Amnesty International, said the UK government’s Afghan resettlement scheme “remains a mirage”.
“The government’s offer of protection is grossly flawed and utterly inadequate,” he said.
Jon Featonby, from the UK Refugee Council, said it is “completely unrealistic to expect men, women and children who have fled the Taliban to find their own accommodation in the UK while stuck in a hotel in Pakistan”.
A government spokesperson said it is “vital that those arriving have somewhere suitable to stay once they are in the UK”.
“The UK has made an ambitious and generous commitment to help at-risk people in Afghanistan and, so far, we have brought around 24,600 vulnerable people to safety, including thousands of people eligible for our Afghan resettlement schemes.”
