Taj* is a former Australian Defence Force interpreter who served in Uruzgan province of Afghanistan in 2011.
He was granted a Temporary Humanitarian Stay visa (subclass 449) in August but has been unable to secure a safe passage out of the country.
Highlights:
- Advocacy groups are urging the Australian government to announce a rescue plan to be undertaken without delay
- Experts say Australia and Pakistan can work jointly in the region despite Quad
- Dozens of Afghan interpreters with Australian humanitarian visas living in hiding are appealing for immediate evacuation
Taj told SBS Urdu that he is among 25 Afghan interpreters who left their homes in various provinces of Afghanistan and are now stranded with their families in Kabul.
Speaking from the Afghanistan capital, Taj said he and his family of five fled their hometown in Jalalabad province for safety reasons.
Taj claimed that despite his many pleas for assistance, Australian authorities have yet to respond to him with information regarding a rescue plan.
"I sent messages to the Department of Foreign Affairs office in Islamabad and the Australian High Commission in Pakistan but did not receive any reply.
"We only received the news via a friend that the Australian High Commission in Islamabad is advising leftover allies about safety as travel throughout Afghanistan is extremely dangerous.
“The last message read, ‘You need to carefully consider the risks, should you attempt to leave by any route. You are responsible for your own safety and that of your family’.”
Taj says travelling from Kabul to the Pakistani border is not an option as it requires crossing Taliban controlled checkpoints.
When there are no evacuation flights and crossing the border is also not a safe option then we are left with no option but to wait for the Taliban to hunt and kill us
‘Moral obligations’
Australia evacuated around 4,100 people on 32 flights from Kabul between 18 and 26 August, but scores more were left behind.
Labelled as traitors by the Taliban for working with western forces, they now live in hiding.
Last month's killing of an Afghan interpreter who had served with the ADF in Afghanistan reignited the debate about the lack of a clear evacuation plan by Australia to assist those who are targeted by the Taliban.
Sydney-based Afghan lawyer Sharhi Rafi is in contact with relatives of the executed Afghan interpreter who had been desperately trying to escape Afghanistan.
Ms Rafi said Australia can do more and can even seek help from Pakistan to evacuate people directly from Afghanistan.
Ms Rafi told SBS Urdu that the Australian government needs to be more proactive to either arrange flights for those with temporary visas from Kabul via Pakistan International Airlines or other airlines, or through a third country.
"The Australian government should also meet its moral obligations by increasing the humanitarian visa intakes to at least 20,000", she added.
Many Afghan interpreters who served the allied forces during the war against Taliban are still awaiting evacuation. Source: Supplied
'Gateway for the west in Afghanistan’
When the Taliban were previously in power 20 years ago, Pakistan was one of the few countries to formally recognise its government.
While Australian PM Scott Morrison has said Australia is not contemplating having a Taliban representative occupying the Afghan embassy in Canberra, there are hopes that Pakistan could play a role as a mediator.
Professor Samina Yasmeen is an academic and researcher at the University of Western Australia’s School of Social Sciences, and director and founder of the university’s Centre for the Muslim States and Societies.
Prof Samina told SBS Urdu that Australia and Pakistan still have good relations even with Australia’s role in the Quad, which includes the United States, India and Japan.
"Pakistan is already providing safe passage to evacuees of US, UK and other western allies including Australia, and there is the scope of further assistance on request," she said.
A captured image of correspondence between an Afghan interpreter and Australian DFAT/The High Commission of Australia in Islamabad. Source: Supplied
Pakistan can help on many fronts in the region and is already working as a gateway for the west in Afghanistan
Prof Samina is hopeful that broader ties can enhance trust between Pakistan and Australia.
“The tour of the Australian cricket team to Pakistan [in February-March 2022] will enhance the trust but both countries have a scope of mutual cooperation beyond sports and Afghanistan.”
SBS Urdu reached out to the High Commission of Pakistan in Canberra, asking whether Pakistan would consider any request from the Australian government to facilitate the safe evacuation by air of temporary protection visa holders.
In response, the High Commissioner of Pakistan, Mr Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri, issued the following written statement:
“Having played its facilitative role in the Afghan peace process, Pakistan has been at the forefront of international efforts for evacuation from Afghanistan since the Taliban took over the country. Pakistan’s embassy in Kabul is remained open and provides necessary consular services enabling evacuation of diplomats, NGO workers, media and Afghan citizens as well.
LISTEN TO
'We felt abandoned': Afghan interpreter requesting for safe evacuation
SBS Urdu
27/09/202106:25
Pakistan has also facilitated the Australian Government in the evacuation of hundreds of individuals from Afghanistan through special flights to Australia
The statement further said that a special 24/7 cell has been created in Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior to facilitate visas on arrival and provide all necessary assistance in evacuation efforts.
The Australian Department of Home Affairs redirected SBS Urdu’s request for comment to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT), who did not respond despite many promptings.
‘We are running for our lives’
Taj said that while some other airlines such as PIA and Qatar Airways are still operational, the Australian government has not outlined any plan for further evacuations.
"We got the humanitarian visa on the 27 August and went to the airport, but the gate was closed, and we were advised to return," he said.
He said the families of the 25 interpreters, each of which comprise five to seven people, including children, are currently living in poor conditions.
Taj recalled that his parents had urged him to leave as soon as the Taliban start capturing town after town in early August.
“The Taliban has visited my parent’s house in Jalalabad many times as they know each and every person who worked with allied forces. My parents tell them I have run away. And I really am running for my life with a family of five including two children.”
Taj* worked for allied forces as an interpreter many times in remote locations of Afghanistan. Source: Supplied
‘Protect those most at risk’
Zaki Haidari is the spokesperson of the Diaspora Advocacy Network from Afghanistan (DANA).
He told SBS Urdu that the crisis in Afghanistan is growing and DANA has been calling on the Australian government to take practical action for the people of Afghanistan since the Taliban seized Kabul.
"We are asking Australian authorities to protect people at high risk including human rights activists, journalists and minority ethnic and religious groups, such as the Hazara and Shia communities," he said.
Barat Ali Batoor, another DANA activist, said that since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, there has been an escalation of violence, displacement and deaths against Hazara people, who are predominately Shia Muslims.
"The Australian government must commit to an additional 20,000 humanitarian places for those most risk in Afghanistan," he said.
Lawyer Sharhi Rafi said that the majority of high-risk Afghanis seeking to evacuate do not have passports and that is a prerequisite for obtaining a visa.
By applying for a passport, they risk exposing themselves during the biometric process.
"Crossing the border to neighbouring Pakistan is also not easy since all checkpoints are controlled by the Taliban and that raises the need of direct evacuation from Afghanistan," she added.
* Name withheld due to safety concerns.
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