RASC News Agency: The British government has refused to resettle Afghanistani refugees currently stranded in Pakistan. On Monday, January 26, The Daily Telegraph reported that hundreds of Afghanistani refugees, whose flights were suspended under an executive order by Donald Trump, had placed their hopes in relocation to the United Kingdom. However, British authorities have denied them the opportunity for resettlement. The report indicates that over 1,500 Afghanistani refugees remain in a state of limbo in Pakistan after their flights were abruptly canceled following Trump’s directive. These refugees have expressed grievances about persistent harassment by Pakistani authorities and emphasized that returning to Afghanistan is not an option, as they face the imminent threat of Taliban retribution.
This situation follows the suspension of flights for approximately 4,000 Afghanistani refugees to the United States—a process delayed for three months by Trump’s administration. J.D. Vance, Trump’s deputy, recently defended the suspension, arguing that the vetting process for these individuals had been insufficient and required greater scrutiny to ensure security. Since the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, approximately 180,000 Afghanistani refugees have been relocated to the United States. However, the suspension of refugee travel has raised significant concerns among those who had cooperated with the U.S. government during its two-decade presence in Afghanistan.
Reports suggest that, over the past three years, the United States has relocated thousands of Afghanistani citizens, many of whom reportedly faced no immediate threat to their lives. A considerable number of these individuals allegedly shared ethnic and ideological affiliations with the Taliban. In stark contrast, those still awaiting relocation face grave dangers under the Taliban’s ethnocentric and theocratic regime, which has systematically targeted individuals who oppose their rule.