Lower thirds:

00:02 Report by Paul Jäger & Khudai Noor
00:09 Khadija Salehi | Former Prosecutor
00:28 File 2021
00:49 Ahmad Soheil | Human Rights Activist
01:28 Friedrich Merz (CDU) | German Chancellor-designate
01:56 Eva Beyer | Kabul Luftbrücke

Script:

17 months. That’s how long Khadija Salehi and her family have been holding on in Islamabad.  

+++SOT Khadija Salehi, former prosecutor 
"I came to Pakistan with the hope of being able to travel on from here to a third country to lead a quiet life with our families."

German original:
"Ich kam mit der Hoffnung nach Pakistan, von hier aus in ein Drittland weiterreisen zu können, um dort ein ruhiges Leben mit unseren Familien führen zu können."
+++ 

Back in Afghanistan, Khadija worked as a prosecutor.  

When the radical Islamist Taliban recaptured the country in 2021, tens of thousands of people who had worked for German organizations lost their jobs and were at risk of persecution.  

The then German government promised to take them in. 

In 2022, Germany set up an admission program for Afghans at risk: journalists or lawyers like Khadija - and people like Ahmad, a human rights activist. 

+++SOT Ahmad Soheil, Human rights activist 
"When we found out that we were accepted into the program for resettlement to Germany, we were very happy. (...) I hope that this process will not be stopped and that we will be successful in getting to Germany."

German original:
"Als wir erfuhren, dass wir in das Programm für die Umsiedlung nach Deutschland aufgenommen wurden, waren wir sehr glücklich. (...) Ich hoffe, dass dieser Prozess nicht gestoppt wird und dass wir erfolgreich nach Deutschland kommen."
+++ 

He and Khadija were lucky, their transfer to Islamabad and their living costs have so far been paid for by a German aid agency. They said others had to sell everything they had to get a visa to Pakistan.  

But the new German government, which takes office at the beginning of May, wants to suspend the programs that promised them a route to Germany. 

+++SOT Friedrich Merz, Probable next German chancellor
"We will launch a repatriation offensive. We will put an end to voluntary admission programs, suspend family reunification (...)"

German original:
"Wir werden eine Rückführungsoffensive starten. Wir werden das Ende der freiwilligen Aufnahmeprogramme vornehmen, den Familiennachzug aussetzen (...)"
+++ 

Instead, the next government wants to see if these commitments could even be withdrawn. 

Whether this is legal is not clear. 

The current foreign ministry believes that the commitments already made are binding but says whether they will be guaranteed is up to the next government.   

Aid groups are appalled. 

+++SOT Eva Beyer, Kabul Luftbrücke (english Soundbite) 
"This whole admission program is a lesson in German hypocrisy. Our government, and I would say both the new and the old one, is teaching the world a lesson in what to make of German promises."
+++ 

On top of this, the Pakistani government is already deporting Afghan refugees back to Afghanistan.  

+++SOT Ahmad Soheil, Human rights activist 
"These deportations are a major concern for all applicants in Islamabad. We have tried to adapt mentally, but it is very difficult for us."

German original:
"Diese Abschiebungen stellen eine große Sorge für alle Antragsteller in Islamabad dar. Wir haben versucht, uns mental anzupassen, aber es fällt uns sehr schwer."
+++ 

But despite such obstacles, both Ahmad and Khadija still hope to make it to Germany, because they say it’s not safe to return to Afghanistan. 

+++SOT Khadija Salehi, former prosecutor 
"Therefore, we have high hopes that Germany will accept us, as the German people are known for keeping their word."

German original:
"Daher haben wir große Hoffnung, dass Deutschland uns definitiv aufnehmen wird, da das deutsche Volk dafür bekannt ist, sein Wort zu halten."
+++

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