Advocates are urging the British government to facilitate the process of resettlement for Afghans who served alongside the British military. According to the current parameters of the leading resettlement scheme, it predominantly shelters individuals exposed to considerable risk – interpreters and translators predominantly.
Meanwhile, those occupying roles such as that of mechanics, chefs, and drivers are not covered under this particular plan. Sulha Alliance, a charity that supports Afghans who have been employed by the British Army, has pointed out that these individuals too face threats from the Taliban.
Under the umbrella of the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme, Afghan citizens who have worked with the UK government in ‘exposed or meaningful roles’ may qualify to be relocated to the UK, together with their families. The Sulha Alliance went a step further, presenting evidence to the Members of Parliament on the Foreign Affairs Select Committee which is scrutinizing the government’s response to the UK’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 following the nation’s takeover by the Taliban.
Among the documents submitted to the committee were accounts of a 35-year-old former mechanic appointed by the British Army. His appeal seeking refuge under the ARAP scheme was denied, resulting in horrific consequences. When the Taliban discovered his father, an 87-year-old man, they allegedly battered him for withholding information about his son’s whereabouts. The elderly man tragically perished in hospital, uttering before his death that the Taliban had marked him due to his son’s perceived ‘traitorous’ alliance with the West.
Peter Gordon-Finlayson, a co-founder of the Sulha Alliance and former army captain, questioned the government’s risk assessment for Afghans hoping to resettle in the UK. He refuted the government’s stance that Afghans in non-interpreter roles were less at risk, as their public affiliation with the British troops was allegedly lower.
Gordon-Finlayson firmly disagreed, shedding light on the reality that the ‘everyday’ jobs, like being a mechanic or a chef in active service with the British military, were recruited from local areas. Their frequent sightings on the military base made them known figures within their community, exposing them to as much risk as anyone else.
Although there are no announced plans to amend the ARAP scheme to comprise more professions, Gordon-Finlayson called upon the government to either revise the ARAP scheme or adjust other schemes to accommodate such individuals. A second scheme for vulnerable Afghan refugees, the Afghan Citizens’ Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), is operational – but it requires endorsement from particular organizations such as the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.
The Sulha Alliance’s evidence uncovers the delays in processing some applications. They opine that instances where employment contracts with British forces ended prematurely are causing hindrances for former interpreters seeking resettlement. The expeditious termination of contracts over minor disputes now threatens their escape from the hostile environment in Afghanistan, raising questions about fairness.
Despite this, a government spokesperson has reassured that the UK continues to honor its commitments, having already ushered around 24,600 at-risk individuals to safety, including a significant number through the Afghan schemes.
