In recent days, 294 Afghans who were on the Dutch evacuation list have crossed the border from Afghanistan to Pakistan with Dutch help. That reports the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Wednesday. The cabinet wants the group – consisting of interpreters and other personnel who have worked for the Dutch government – to come to the Netherlands “as soon as possible”. The evacuees traveled to the Pakistani capital Islamabad with help from the Dutch embassy. The aid campaign was preceded by months of negotiations.
According to Minister Wopke Hoekstra (Foreign Affairs, CDA), this was a complicated exercise, partly because not all Afghans have valid travel documents. The ministry has been negotiating with Pakistan for the past five months to bring the Afghans over. Partly with the help of the Pakistani authorities, the group was able to cross the Pakistani border, the minister said. He states that the cabinet “continues to make unremitting efforts” to bring more Afghans to the Netherlands. It is not known how many more people are involved.
The group of Afghans had been left behind in the capital Kabul after the Taliban takeover last summer. Fundamentalists quickly regained power in Afghanistan after the US military left the country after more than 20 years of mission. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs previously urgently advised stowaways not to use the “dangerous land route” between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Nevertheless, the Dutch embassy staff actively helped to allow Afghans to cross the border.