Kharkiv, Ukraine – Pakistani warplanes bombed Kabul and other major cities in Afghanistan on Friday, February 27, after the country declared “open war” on its neighbour. Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif stated that his country’s “patience has reached its limit.”
For European countries, this will complicate efforts to begin deportation flights to Afghanistan, which is controlled by the Taliban – a group widely viewed as a terrorist organisation.
Despite only Russia recognising the Taliban as the country’s legitimate government, European states have sought pathways through which Afghan nationals convicted of serious crimes can be deported back to the war-ravaged country.
As the militant group was seizing control of the country, six EU states wrote to the European Commission in August 2021, urging that deportations of Afghans convicted of serious crimes continue. While deportations were halted due to the collapse of the previous Western-backed government, many of these countries have continued to agitate for deportations to continue.
EU states are under pressure from a rise in support for right-wing and far-right political groups, motivated in large part by attitudes towards migration.
Authorities in Germany, conscious of the threat posed by the far-right party Alternativ für Deutschland, have prioritised resuming expulsions despite criticism from the UN and human rights groups.
Berlin had previously chartered two flights to the Afghan capital via Qatar as an intermediary, but on February 26, German authorities announced the first deportation direct to Kabul after a new agreement with Taliban authorities was signed, establishing a framework for regular deportation flights.
European leaders are keen for a peaceful Middle East to enable repatriation policies. Despite human rights abuses carried out by the Taliban, Berlin’s new agreement with Afghanistan’s de facto rulers has been seen as a win for Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
While the German interior ministry insisted that Pakistan’s attack “does not change” its assessment of the situation, it will add to criticism that the government is sacrificing migrants’ safety to improve their position in the polls.
Featured image: Munir Ahmed via X.
