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With the Rwanda bill now passed, it is likely that the first flights will begin in a few months. Among the many objections and criticisms to the plan is the extent to which the law has failed to make special provisions for those Afghans and their dependants who directly assisted the UK during the period of its involvement in the Nato mission.
The Government says that it has made adequate provision under the Afghans Assistance and Relocation Policy (AARP). But upon closer inspection, many of those who can show that they assisted the UK during its mission in Afghanistan fall outside the policy. Most urgently, it does not include those who made their way to the UK independently (in small boats, for instance), since by doing so they did not meet the requirement or have since failed to meet the standard laid down in the scheme.
As of November 2022, after a decision by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the AARP stopped relocating individuals to the UK until they had secured suitable, non-hotel accommodation here. Asking AARP individuals, some of whom fled Afghanistan with only what they could carry, to source their own accommodation in the UK is a very tall order and for some it is simply unachievable.
The Government also stopped issuing UK visas to AARP-eligible persons where suitable accommodation in the UK had not been procured, despite no such changes to the immigration rules being laid before Parliament. Neither the Prime Minister’s decision nor the consequential suspension of relocations and visa-issuing were announced at the time.
Many Afghans now find themselves in limbo, often trapped in hotels in Pakistan. With increasing tension between the Pakistani state and the Taliban authorities, these refugees (around 2,300) living in hotels with no access to amenities such as schools are increasingly under pressure – and only because they stood with us in a time of need. Some have made their way here independently, only now to discover that they have no standing at all and are liable to be removed under the new law.
I led the legacy programme in Afghanistan which delivered a functioning police Special Branch for the Afghan Government. Mentored by former members of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), and the Irish Police (Garda), the organisation was extremely effective. It was not of course able, alone, to hold back the tidal wave of the Taliban in the face of the US withdrawal, but it was the key indication and warning of the collapse and bought time for many others to relocate ahead of the catastrophe.
Much of their work was in areas controlled by UK forces and many British lives were saved by the intelligence they provided. But since they worked for a US-funded programme working with the Afghan government, they are an example of individuals not eligible for the AARP scheme.
The individuals who assisted the UK, directly or indirectly, were often motivated by the simple desire to make their country a safer, better place. The Taliban regime now struggles with the day-to-day realities of running a nation of around 33 million, while facing increasing opposition from within – both from Afghan resistance groups, who would see a return to democracy, as well as the fanatics of Isis Khorasan.
The Taliban’s grip remains tenuous. Should they fall, any hope of a return to democracy and self-reliance within the international community rests with these same brave souls, often UK trained, who stood with us during our time there, returning to take up the struggle. Put another way, if D-Day had failed, would we turn away those members of the French Resistance who fought alongside our SOE and SAS? I think not.
For that reason, I believe that making some very slight yet simple modifications to the Rwanda Bill, to save and protect these needful allies, would be the right thing to do. Since deportation to Rwanda means that the individual can never apply to return to the UK, no matter how valid their case, the need for this great potential mistake to be rectified before if happens is vital.
On Monday, on BBC Radio 4, when asked about assistance for those who needed help because they helped us, Government spokesman Minister Andrew Mitchell MP repeated several times that they are already catered for. That is not so.
Tim Collins OBE is a retired British Army colonel, speaker and author
