The UK government is scrambling to find homes for Afghans eligible for sanctuary in Britain who are trapped in Pakistan after authorities announced a brutal crackdown on refugees, The Independent can reveal.
Nearly 3,000 Afghans, many of whom worked for the British army, have been stranded in Islamabad for months after the UK stopped chartering flights last year and demanded refugees find their own housing in Britain before travelling. Pakistan police stormed one of the hotels housing the UK-bound Afghans last week and arrested several whose visas had run out.
