By Muzhda Mohammadi
The email cancelling Zulaikha’s* asylum claim in Germany came without warning more than a year after she’d uprooted her family from Afghanistan as instructed.
The former university professor and advisor at the International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN) on women’s rights first attempted to leave Afghanistan when it fell to the Taliban on August 15, 2021, but didn’t manage in the chaos of Kabul airport.
After eighteen months of efforts and applications, Germany officially accepted her asylum claim.
“After receiving the first email, we were instructed to leave Afghanistan and travel to a neighboring country. So my family and I left Afghanistan as soon as possible,” she said.
They sold or gave away all their possessions and on February 26, 2023 they left Afghanistan to start their new life.
First, they went to Iran, staying in a hotel with Germany’s support including meals and the offer of psychological counseling. Then, last December after a suspension of German flights through Iran, the family were transferred to Pakistan.
The wait felt arduous. Zulaikha would check her email several times a day in the hope that it would bring news of their flight to their new home.
But on June 27 this year, she received an email that rocked her and sent shockwaves through her family.
“After further investigation into your case, it has been determined that there is no basis for granting asylum by the German government to applicants. We kindly request that you vacate the hotel by Thursday, July 4,” the email read.
Zulaikha was shattered.
“It felt like the sky had fallen on me. I didn’t know what to do. On top of it all, we were given just one week to leave the hotel,” she said.
In an instant, all the hardships Zulaikha’s family had endured for the promise of a more permanent home, came to nothing.
“Over those seventeen months, we had made plans for our future, but suddenly everything fell apart. It felt like August 15 all over again,” she said.
“If the German government intended to reject our application, why did they send me an acceptance email in the first place? At the very least, they could have reviewed my documents and provided a clear reason for the rejection, but no reason was given in the email.”
Germany begins cancelling asylum acceptance
Zulaikha is not alone. The German government has reportedly been canceling some asylum requests from Afghans after an attack on critics of Islam in Mannheim, Germany.
On May 31, an Afghan citizen armed with a knife attacked a gathering of critics of Islam in Mannheim, resulting in the death of a police officer and injuries to six others.
German media reported that a 25-year-old man from Herat in Afghanistan had carried out the attack. The German police officer died from the knife wounds on Sunday, June 2.
In the wake of this event and other security-related incidents involving Afghans in Germany, there has been a growing call from German officials to expel refugees considered a threat to the country.
Olaf Scholz, the Chancellor of Germany, said in a speech to the German Parliament on Thursday, June 6, that criminals, “even if they come from Syria or Afghanistan,” will be expelled.
He added that anyone who endorses or glorifies terrorism should be removed from Germany.
According to German media reports, because Germany has no contact with the Taliban government, officials are considering the option of deporting Afghan migrants through neighboring countries like Uzbekistan.
Stranded in Pakistan, afraid to return to Afghanistan
Meanwhile, Zulaikha has not retuned to Afghanistan and is urging the German government to reconsider the rejection of her asylum application.
She now resides in Barakahu, Islamabad, with her husband and two children.
They are among thousands of Afghan refugees in Islamabad waiting for flights to Western countries. Amnesty International has reported that nearly 4,000 Afghans are awaiting transfer to Germany alone.
The pressure from Pakistan’s authorities on Afghan refugees has caused severe anxiety for Zulaikha who lives in fear of being forcibly returned to Afghanistan, where their lives could be in danger.
For fear of the possibility of arrest and deportation by Pakistani police, Zulaikha and her family have confined themselves to their home.
“My visa in Pakistan expired more than five months ago, and I don’t even have money to renew it. While I was still at the hotel, I emailed GIZ for assistance, but I received no response. Now that we have left the hotel, we are at even greater risk of arrest and deportation from Pakistan,” she said.
Work in Pakistan is difficult for illegal migrants, so many prefer to stay home out of fear of arrest.
“How can we work? If my husband leaves the house to find a job, he risks arrest and deportation by the Pakistani police,” Zulaika said.
“If he is deported, what will I do with our two children? Every day passes, but I don’t know what to do about the next day. My financial situation in Pakistan is dire, and we are facing significant financial difficulties.”
Pakistan’s crackdown on Afghan migrants
Over the past year, the initiation of deportations of Afghan refugees and migrants from Pakistan has raised significant concerns among human rights organizations. These organizations have repeatedly issued statements urging Pakistan to halt the forced expulsion of refugees.
Despite significant opposition to the expulsion of Afghan refugees from Pakistan, the country has not reversed its decision. Each day, hundreds of Afghan migrants are forcibly returned to Afghanistan.
Mawlooda Tawana, a former official at the National Security Protection Directorate, a human rights advocate, and founder of the Progressive Women’s Movement of Afghanistan, has been living in Pakistan for the past year.
She told Rukhshana Media that after the Taliban came to power and the number of visa applications for migration to Pakistan increased, the Pakistani government reduced the validity period of visa categories to six months and significantly raised visa fees.
“The problems are endless,” the 38-year-old said.
“Visa fees vary by category and region, and they exploit the desperation of migrants. Prices range from 20,000 (US$285) to 30,000 afghanis (US$430) for visa extensions and approvals. Additionally, the validity periods of visas have been shortened. For example, a family visit visa used to be valid for a year but has now been reduced to six months.
“Then if you extend it, you can only use it for one month. Similarly, medical visas have been reduced from six months to three months, allowing only short stays in Pakistan.”
*Some names have been changed for security reasons.
