Afghan families who helped UK forces and then fled to neighboring Pakistan are in danger of being deported back to the Taliban due to Home Office delays in bringing them to the UK.

In the chaotic evacuation period in the Afghan capital, Kabul, in August 2021 some family members eligible for resettlement in the UK became separated from the rest of their families. Some boarded flights while others were unable to due to crushes at the airport and instead fled over the border to Pakistan, the Guardian reported. 

Since then, many separated families have only been able to exchange calls and messages with each other across continents, with no sign of the UK government announcing a promised family reunion scheme.

On 11 February immigration minister Tom Pursglove stated in a letter that the Home Office was committed to establishing a route for eligible separated Afghan families.

However, nothing has yet been announced and the situation has become urgent. Deportations of Afghans who fled to Pakistan are due to restart on Monday. A previous wave of these deportations resulted in about 400,000 Afghans in Pakistan being returned, either forcibly or voluntarily, to Afghanistan.