Dissident Afghan asylum seekers who served occupying powers have been told to return home as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is safe and poses “no risk.”
This is according to a UK Home Office ruling on the asylum case of an Afghan woman who worked closely with Western governments to promote “women’s rights” in Afghanistan prior to the Taliban takeover.
The Afghan woman who alleges she “risked her life” by working with the foreign countries occupying Afghanistan such as the U.S. and UK, has chosen to remain anonymous but fled Afghanistan in August 2021 and arrived in the UK to lodge an application for political asylum.
According to a report in the Guardian, Mina (not her real name) had “worked for western government-backed projects and was involved in training and mentoring women across Afghanistan,” which meant she may have been considered high risk for interrogation and possible punishment in her home country for crimes such as treason.
However, the story reports that Home Office officials refused the Afghan woman’s asylum claim and issued her a rejection letter stating that she must return to her home country as she faces “no risk.”
The decision shocked Mina and raised eye-brows amongst ideologically-driven western activists and groups opposed to Islamic rule in Afghanistan.
“I assumed my asylum claim would be granted – I am from Afghanistan, I’m a woman, I worked with western governments,” said Mina.
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“The refusal was an absolute shock. Now every day I fear being sent back to my home country. Having a normal life here looks like a dream for me. I’m really suffering mentally.
“When I was working with western government projects I received security training about how to respond if I was caught up in a bombing or a kidnapping. Everyday I was a few minutes or a few seconds away from bomb blasts.
“My heart beat so fast when I had to pass the checkpoints. Every morning when I said goodbye to my family to go to work I thought it might be the last time I saw them. Some of my colleagues just disappeared”, she said.
The Home Office has previously generally accepted applications for asylum and protection from women like Mina who feared they may be a target for capital punishment in a liberated Afghanistan due to the work they did for the occupying powers.
However, contrary to anti-Islamic Emirate propaganda rampant in western media, the UK Home Office now seems to think that Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is a much more stable and safe place, making it a virtually risk-free country for Afghan dissidents to return to.
The acceptance rate of asylum seeker applications from Afghan citizens fleeing the Islamic Emirate has gone down from 98.5% in the last quarter of 2023 to just 36% in the last quarter of 2024.
According to reports, the Home Office letter to Mina stated: “It is considered that you do not face a real risk of persecution or harm on your return to Afghanistan on the basis of your claimed adverse attention by the Taliban.
The refusal letter adds: “You likely have a great support network due to your occupation.”
However, Mina claims that her support networks have largely evaporated as many of those she worked with prior to the liberation of Kabul have either left the country or are in hiding.
“There are no compassionate factors in your case that warrant a grant of leave to remain outside the immigration rules”, the letter states.
Mina’s solicitor Jamie Bell is quoted to have said: “It is shocking that 26 Afghan women were refused asylum in the last quarter. However, this is a particularly upsetting case where the Home Office states that a woman who risked her life defending women’s rights in Afghanistan would not be at risk on her return.
“The UK should be proud to offer protection to an individual like her. The refusal letter is offensive to all those who defended western values in Afghanistan and who ought to be offered protection when they cannot safely return.”
The Home Office was approached for comment but a spokesperson stated: “It is our longstanding policy not to comment on individual cases.”
The Islamic Emirate leadership has repeated calls for Afghans living in the west to return to Afghanistan and help rebuild the country after decades of war and illegal occupation.
In an interview with 5Pillars deputy editor Dilly Hussain, the official spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Zabihullah Mujahid, reiterated the official state policy and urged Afghan asylum seekers to return home.
“The Islamic Emirate had a duty and we granted a general amnesty. This amnesty applies to everyone. We announced to everyone that no one needs to migrate from Afghanistan; now our message is those who have left Afghanistan must return.
“We want Afghans to return home to their country. Being an asylum seeker is not good for them, they will not be respected.”
