Another 189 people may come to the Netherlands from Afghanistan. The government wants to make a final evacuation attempt before 1 November to bring people to the Netherlands.
Afghans can go to the Netherlands because, for example, they have worked for humanitarian or defense organizations. Their previous work puts them at risk now that the Taliban have control of the country.
Minister Wopke Hoekstra (Foreign Affairs) writes in a letter to the House of Representatives that it is no longer possible to evacuate the population through Pakistan. That country previously allowed Afghans who did not have a passport to travel to the Netherlands. Many Afghans do not have passports and getting one is now even more difficult due to the Taliban government.
The reason why Pakistan no longer allows this is not stated in Hoekstra’s letter. Afghans who have a passport can still fly from Pakistan. Of the 189, 40 have passports, a spokesperson said.
Afghans are welcome
The 189 people who are still in Afghanistan were given the opportunity to leave earlier, writes Hoekstra. But some were unable to enter Pakistan, for example because they had no money or because they were turned back at the border. Others were able to do so but did not accept the offer.
Anyone who does not accept the latest evacuation attempt will remain welcome in the Netherlands. They have to get there on their own.
Before the summer, the government announced that it would move all eligible Afghans to the Netherlands in September. Hoekstra, however, had a hard time because the Taliban sometimes make the border with Pakistan difficult. To date, 2,551 people have been relocated from Afghanistan.
