LONDON: A British Afghan girl, 8, has been left stranded in Afghanistan due to a “lack of concern” by the UK government, family lawyers told The Independent newspaper.
The girl’s parents are in Britain and are making urgent appeals to have their daughter relocated.
Relatives of the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, are looking after her in Kabul, but say that she has not attended school since the Taliban takeover last year.
“We are like prisoners in our own home. We’re too scared to go out. Our financial situation has also worsened. We have no income, no jobs. It’s getting worse day by day,” said her uncle.
“Recently, the Taliban’s house searches have increased. They’re going door to door, going inside and looking for evidence of families being in touch with relatives abroad.”
The girl’s mother, living in London, said: “I’m really worried, especially when I hear the news that things are getting worse. I’m trying anything that I can to get her out and here with me.
“I don’t even know how to describe how I feel. She’s on my mind every minute, every second of the day, I see her in front of my eyes. I’m continually worrying about what she’s going through.”
The girl’s father has British citizenship, and the family applied for citizenship for their daughter in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2020, to no avail.
Lawyers say that a “combination of error and unlawful decision-making” by the UK Home Office led to the denial of citizenship to the girl, and that “an indifference that is simply incomprehensible” has now left her stranded in Afghanistan.
Following legal battles and an appeal by the family last year, a passport was issued for the girl, but it is held in the UK and unable to be sent to Kabul due to the Taliban presence.
Lawyers are now demanding that the UK government provide the girl with emergency travel documents, which could allow her to be reunited with her parents in London.
A member of Parliament has also become involved in the appeal.
Labour MP Lyn Brown told The Independent: “In the cold light of day, they (the government) surely have to turn their minds to this little girl, who is stuck in Afghanistan through no fault of her own, no fault of her mother, but because of a Home Office blunder.
“Circumstances in the country are deteriorating further and we need ministers to act with urgency to bring her home.”
The solicitor representing the girl’s family, Rebecca Morris, said: “The attitude taken by the government to my client — the abject lack of concern for a young British girl trapped in Kabul — has been disturbing and disappointing at every step of this case.
“The indifferent and careless response our requests for help have met has been incomprehensible. Ministers and government departments promised to shift heaven and earth for those left behind when the evacuation ended.”