They risked their lives for Britain, but now, 13 Afghan men who once worked alongside the British Army have been deported back into the hands of the very regime they helped fight.
Despite promises of safety under the UK’s Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap), the men were sent from Pakistan to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, The i Paper has revealed. All 13 were under the care of the British High Commission, yet still ended up on deportation lists as Pakistan escalated its crackdown on undocumented Afghans.
A promise broken
When the Taliban swept back into power in 2021, Britain pledged sanctuary to those who had supported its military operations. Thousands fled across the border into Pakistan to await resettlement. But progress has been painfully slow, and dangerously flawed.
In 2022, a Ministry of Defence blunder exposed the details of nearly 19,000 Afghans who had applied for relocation. That leak, only revealed this summer after a super injunction expired, may have handed the Taliban a ready-made list of “traitors.”
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s government insists it cannot cope with hosting more than 3.5 million Afghans. Since April, it has accelerated mass deportations, forcing hundreds of thousands back into Afghanistan.
Lives in danger
The UN and Human Rights Watch have warned that Afghans linked to foreign forces face severe risks if returned, from torture to execution. Researcher Fereshta Abbasi described the British relocation system as “extremely slow,” with families waiting years in limbo.
“Once they are deported, anything can happen to them,” she said.
Reports from Pakistan accuse police of beating Afghans, destroying documents, and extorting bribes before deporting them, abuses the British Government has declined to directly comment on.
Political backlash in Westminster
The deportations have triggered outrage among MPs.
- Labour MP Alex Ballinger, a former Royal Marine involved in the Afghanistan withdrawal, blamed “years of slow progress” by the UK for Pakistan’s tough stance.
- Defence Committee chair Tan Dhesi pledged an inquiry into the failures of the resettlement schemes.
- Liberal Democrat MP Wendy Chamberlain branded the handling of Afghans in Islamabad a “shambles,” accusing ministers of “fumbling” their obligations and closing schemes before they had properly worked.
“It is yet another demonstration of our Government’s failure to meet its obligations,” she warned, highlighting that nearly a third of eligible Afghans have now been deported.
Britain under pressure
The Ministry of Defence insists it remains “fully committed” to those eligible under Arap, while lobbying Pakistan behind the scenes. But with Islamabad outside the UN’s Refugee Convention, Britain has little leverage.
The Taliban, meanwhile, claims Afghanistan is now safe for returnees. A recent UN report bluntly contradicts that, saying the country provides “no safe haven” and warning of “imminent harmful consequences” for those forced back.
For the 13 men deported this week, and the thousands still waiting, the UK’s promises are looking dangerously hollow.
