The German Foreign Office indicates that approximately 2,100 Afghan citizens remain in Pakistan who have been granted assurances of acceptance in Germany, largely due to their prior support of the German Federal Armed Forces as local personnel
The arrival of this flight has prompted criticism of the government’s messaging surrounding the issue Vice President of the Bundestag, Omid Nouripour, characterized previous statements suggesting no further flights would depart from Afghanistan as “unfortunate electioneering” He argued that the government could have navigated the situation more effectively, avoiding what he termed a “defeat” had they adopted a more nuanced approach to the Afghanistan issue
Nouripour emphasized that these individuals are not simply seeking to come to Germany, but are people who risked their lives assisting the Bundeswehr in Afghanistan and were subsequently promised protection He further stated the core issue isn’t the arrival of flights themselves, but the government’s inability to differentiate between those eligible for acceptance and those subject to deportation orders, leading to a generalized and, he contends, ineffective approach
He stressed that accepting Afghan local staff is not solely a matter of the rule of law or migration policy, but also of reliability While acknowledging that Germany cannot accept everyone, Nouripour stated that assurances given to those who assisted the Bundeswehr and their families must be honored He suggested that failing to extend these protections would undermine future cooperation, explaining that local support would be jeopardized if promises of protection for family members were not upheld He concluded that upholding these commitments is essential to maintaining Germany’s credibility on the international stage
