Former Afghan interpreter exposed in huge MoD data breach has UK relocation revoked

Independent

16 hours ago

A former Afghan interpreter exposed in a catastrophic Ministry of Defence (MoD) data breach has had his offer of relocation to the UK revoked – despite waiting for two years in Pakistan to be brought to Britain.
The former patrol interpreter is believed to be one of several families who had been accepted for sanctuary in the UK by the MoD due to their service alongside British troops, but who have now had their applications rebuffed by the Home Office.
He has been detained by Pakistan police who entered the UK-run hotel he was staying in on Wednesday and brought him to a deportation camp, his lawyer said.
His details were leaked in a MoD breach that exposed the details of thousands of Afghans who said they were in danger from the Taliban because of their links to UK forces and wanted to escape to Britain.
The man and his family have now been given 14 days to leave the hotel they have been staying in. They are without Pakistan visas, money, or anywhere else to go.
Rafi Hottak, a former interpreter for the British Army who now campaigns for Afghans left behind, said the reversal decision was 'morally bankrupt'.
Mr Hottak said: 'There is a real risk of deportation to these people. I think it is morally bankrupt for the UK government to do this. They have not been able to go out, their wives and children are suffering, and suddenly you throw a bomb shell on them. Whatever the reason is they need to be given a clear answer to why their case is rejected'.
Erin Alcock, the lawyer for the former Afghan interpreter, filed an urgent application to the High Court in the UK on Thursday, asking for the family's support to be continued long enough to allow them to appeal the sudden decision.
Ms Alcock, senior associate at law firm Leigh Day, said: 'It is a horrifying development, following a sudden and unexplained visa refusal that our client is seeking to have reviewed in the Special Immigration Appeals Commission. We are working urgently to challenge the decision to remove support from our client's family in the meantime'.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence said that Afghans eligible to come to the UK must pass security and entry checks before relocation.
The revelation comes as another family also being housed in a Pakistan hotel awaiting relocation to the UK was detained by police and readied for deportation to Afghanistan, according to the son of a former Afghan special forces commando.
The son, who has been waiting to be brought to the UK for nearly 10 months, told The Independent: 'The British government knows that as soon as we fall into the hands of the Taliban, we will all be killed.'
He said that 13 members of this family, including his father, have been taken to the same deportation camp by the police. His father, who also had his details exposed in the MoD leak, served alongside UK special forces and has been found eligible for sanctuary in the UK, along with his family members.
His desperate son, who said he managed to escape arrest, told The Independent: 'We are even willing for only our children and wives to be relocated. If we are sent back to Afghanistan and killed, so be it – but why should the children of our family and our wives have to face such punishment? At least in this way, we would know that our children and wives are safe and will survive'.
He added: 'It is very disheartening – our children should be enjoying their childhood games at the age of four, not suffering from PTSD because of circumstances that have been unfortunately forced upon us'.
A MoD spokesperson said that the UK government was only able to confirm if families had passed or failed their visa checks once they were in a third country.
They said: 'We are honouring our commitments to all eligible people who pass their relevant checks for relocation.
'As the public would rightly expect, anyone coming to the UK must pass strict security and entry checks before being able to relocate to the UK. In some cases, people do not pass these checks.
'All letters of eligibility clearly say that relocation is conditional for passing these checks.'