LONDON: A new poll commissioned by The Independent has revealed that only 23 percent of Britons believe that the UK government is providing enough to aid Afghanistan veterans who served alongside British forces.
The poll comes amid new figures that show five in six applicants to the UK’s military scheme for relocation have faced rejection.
The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) is one of two schemes launched by the UK in the wake of the Western withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. The ARAP scheme aims to relocate Afghans who served alongside the Briton forces during the War in Afghanistan and who are now in danger due to the Taliban’s control of the country.
However, almost 19,000 applicants have been rejected, while only 3,399 have been found eligible.
The Independent poll also revealed that almost 50 percent of respondents want more to be done to save Afghan veterans. A former soldier who served in Afghanistan, Labour MP Dan Jarvis, criticized the government’s failing ARAP policy, saying that it was “reprehensible that brave men who served alongside us are paying the price.”
He added that as ARAP numbers dwindle, small boat crossings rise, and it’s not good enough to tell people to use safe and legal routes when they aren’t fit for purpose.
The ARAP scheme has faced delays in relocating eligible applicants from Afghanistan and neighboring countries, including Pakistan. Global Witness, a non-governmental organization, has communicated with hundreds of Afghans who served alongside the British military. However, not a single person has been awarded eligibility since April 2021, leaving many of the former contractors and soldiers exposed to revenge attacks over their work for Western forces.
Britons worry for Afghan veterans
The case of an Afghan pilot facing deportation to Rwanda has drawn significant attention to the ARAP scheme. The UK Home Office, which oversees immigration claims, has declined to comment on whether the pilot’s pending deportation will be withdrawn and has denied commenting on individual cases.
Lord Alfred Dubs, who fled Nazi occupation as a child refugee, described the pilot’s planned deportation as “absolutely shocking” and called for the government to reconsider. A spokesperson for the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence said that the UK government has committed to relocating eligible Afghans and their families to the UK under the ARAP scheme and will honor this commitment.
Dr. Sara De Jong, co-founder of charity The Sulha Alliance, which is attempting to expedite relocation efforts, said that the interpreters she is in contact with report significant mental distress, and those left in limbo in Pakistan risk falling victim to an “out of sight, out of mind policy.” Meanwhile, others are still in Afghanistan and have been waiting for over a year for an ARAP decision.
The ARAP scheme is facing criticism for its failures to aid Afghan veterans, and half of Britons demand greater efforts to rescue them.
