November 5, 2025
By Aitzaz Ibrahim
LAHORE
Germany has offered cash payments to Afghan refugees in Pakistan who agree to withdraw from a resettlement program intended to relocate them to Germany, according to Airbridge Kabul, a humanitarian initiative assisting Afghans at risk.
The refugees were accepted under a relocation scheme introduced by the previous German government. However, around 2,000 Afghans have remained stranded in Pakistan since conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz took office in May and temporarily suspended the program.
Airbridge Kabul stated that refugees have received letters offering financial assistance in exchange for withdrawing from the relocation process.
Under the offer, a single woman will receive an initial payment of 1,500 euros (approximately $1,700) in Pakistan and an additional 5,000 euros if she moves back to Afghanistan or a third country.
The relocation program was originally designed for Afghans who had worked with German forces or were considered at risk under Taliban rule, including journalists, lawyers, and human rights defenders.
Meanwhile, Pakistani authorities have intensified their crackdown on Afghan refugees as part of the third phase of the “Illegal Foreigners’ Repatriation Plan.” So far, more than 828,000 Afghan refugees have been sent back to Afghanistan.
Society for Human Rights and Prisoners’ Aid (SHARP-Pakistan), an NGO working for the rights of refugees and marginalized groups, expressed serious concern over the reported German offer.
In a statement, SHARP stated that it was ‘deeply concerned about reports that Afghan refugees in Pakistan are being offered financial incentives to give up their places on a resettlement program in Germany.’
“This move raises serious questions about the commitment of the German government to protecting the rights and dignity of vulnerable individuals who have already faced unimaginable trauma and uncertainty,” said the statement. “As an organization that has been working tirelessly to support Afghan refugees in Pakistan, we urge the German government to prioritize the safety and well-being of these individuals and families. Resettlement is not a bargaining chip; it is a lifeline for those fleeing persecution, war, and violence.We call on the German government to reconsider its approach and honor its commitments to the Afghan refugees who have been waiting for resettlement. Their lives and futures should not be subject to negotiation or financial inducements.”
While speaking to Voicepk, Mudassir Javed, the Chief Executive Officer of SHARP-Pakistan, disapprovingly questioned, “What is the worth of these 1,500 euros?”
Afghans stranded in Pakistan
Approximately 2,400 to 2,600 Afghan refugees who have already been approved for relocation to Germany are currently stranded in Pakistan, waiting for their visas and flights.
Additionally, around 17,000 Afghans are in the early stages of the application process, but their cases are now on hold following Germany’s temporary suspension of its Afghan refugee resettlement program.
“These are the people who, in one way or another, had worked for Germany. They were given letters promising resettlement. Many of them have been waiting for years. But after the Ukraine war, Germany’s priorities have shifted — now they are offering money instead. These refugees cannot stay in Pakistan, where they are declared illegal, nor can they return to Afghanistan, where their lives are in danger. A promise was made to them, and now Germany is backing out.”
A clear violation of human rights
Sheharyar Khan, Executive Director of the National Dialogue Forum (NDF), a public policy organization working to promote inclusion of marginalized groups, told Voicepk, that Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights was crystal clear.
“It says that no one shall face torture or inhuman treatment, and no state may return them to such risk,” he highlighted. “Yet Germany’s ‘voluntary’ payout pushes Afghan refugees back to Taliban rule — where 23 million face famine, women suffer systemic gender apartheid, and executions are rising. This thinly veiled coercion violates the EU’s own Charter of Fundamental Rights and the 1951 Refugee Convention.
It commodifies desperation, risks fueling illegal migration networks, and undermines Germany’s standing as a defender of refugees. The Afghan people deserve sanctuary, not a payment to danger.”