First special flight with Afghan refugees departs for UK
- By Salah Uddin -
- Oct 26, 2023
ISLAMABAD: The first chartered flight departed from Islamabad International Airport to the United Kingdom (UK) to relocate about 200 Afghan refugees, ARY News reported on Thursday.
Around 3,000 Afghans, many of whom worked for the British army, were evacuated to be provided residence in the UK following the Afghan Taliban’s takeover of Kabul in August 2021.
The decision was reached during a meeting between a delegation from the British High Commission and top officials of the Civil Aviation Authority in Karachi.
Both sides agreed to operate 12 flights starting from the next week until the end of December to transport a certain number of Afghan refugees to the UK.
According to sources, each chartered flight, which will operate once a week, would take around 200 Afghans to the UK.
It’s important to note that Pakistan has set a November 1 deadline for all legal immigrants to exit the country.
Pakistani Interior Minister Sarfaraz Bugti, when announcing the deadline in early October, said an estimated 1.7 million Afghans are among those facing forcible eviction.