Germany Resumes Processing Afghan Refugee Cases, Sends Staff to Pakistan
Germany has resumed reviewing Afghan refugee cases and deployed staff to Pakistan to process applications, the daily Die Welt reported Monday.
Germany has resumed reviewing Afghan refugee cases and deployed staff to Pakistan to process applications, the daily Die Welt reported Monday.
The move comes amid mounting legal pressure in Germany and Pakistan’s intensified deportations of Afghan migrants.
According to the report, Berlin plans to relocate approved Afghans discreetly on regular commercial flights with stopovers in Dubai or Istanbul. It remains unclear how many applicants have been cleared for departure.
An estimated 2,000 Afghans have been stranded in Pakistan for months awaiting relocation to Germany after Islamabad’s new government suspended the transfer process. Pakistan has since warned it will expel Afghan refugees and migrants, prompting human rights groups in Germany and dozens of Afghan applicants to challenge the suspension in court.
In recent days, more than 450 Afghans with German admission commitments were detained in Pakistan. German officials said 245 were released from deportation camps following intervention from Berlin, while 210 others had already been deported.
Government sources told Die Welt that Germany has now reversed its position and will resume transfers, with the first Afghan families expected to arrive in the coming days.
The shift follows earlier remarks by Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, who said Berlin was not obligated to immediately relocate the 2,000 Afghans waiting in Pakistan. He argued that all applicants promised admission must first undergo security checks before transfer.
