Pakistan’s Defense Minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, stated that Germany must relocate Afghan refugees currently settled in Islamabad by the end of 2025.
He warned that after the deadline expires, Pakistan will deport these refugees to Afghanistan, where, he stated, their security will be at risk.
In a recent interview with the German newspaper Welt, Khawaja Asif suggested that if the refugees are deported to Afghanistan, Germany should engage in talks with the Taliban and even pay the group to ensure their safety. Simultaneously, Khawaja Asif warned that the Taliban are “not trustworthy.”
He stated: “If Germany doesn’t take them, we will deport them. That is the bottom line.”
Germany and Pakistan had previously agreed that the Afghan refugees would be resettled by the end of the current calendar year.
However, the process of transferring Afghan refugees from Pakistan has been slow.
Members of the German Parliament (Bundestag) sent a letter to the country’s officials, demanding the immediate transfer of the Afghan refugees.
While the Taliban has stated that it guarantees the security of all Afghan citizens following the issuance of a “general amnesty” decree, numerous reports from international organizations in recent years indicate that a high number of extrajudicial killings have occurred in the country.
