The group of Afghans on board the German chartered flight from Pakistan included people who have been accepted under special programs for Afghan nationals at risk – the Federal Admission Program and the relocation scheme for Afghans who worked for the German military (Bundeswehr) or other German organizations, the foreign office confirmed to the news agency dpa.

They are the first to be brought to Germany since the country announced that it wanted to protect Afghan refugees from mass deportations from Pakistan to Afghanistan, which is under the control of the Taliban.

Tens of thousands more Afghans who have been offered "the prospect of admission" to Germany remain in limbo, leading to criticism of the German government for being too slow in bringing people at risk to safety.

Also read: Afghanistan: What happened to Germany’s local staff?

Pakistan announced in October that it would deport refugees without residence status. At the time of the announcement, around 4.4 million Afghan refugees were living in Pakistan, more than a third of them without valid papers, according to Pakistani authorities. The UN refugee agency UNHCR put the total figure at 3.7 million. 

More than 345,000 Afghans have reportedly returned to Afghanistan or been deported since the government expulsion order.

More than 11,000 waiting to travel to Germany

The UK began flying out Afghans eligible under its relocation schemes in October, ahead of Pakistan's deportation deadline. The British government said it was planning to bring around 2,000 Afghan nationals to the UK during November and December.

Pakistani authorities had declared that people who had been accepted under reception programs in countries such as Germany and Spain would be exempt from deportation. These assurances have not been upheld, however: according to the Spanish Commission for Aid to Refugees, in October, seven members of one family waiting to be reunited with a relative in Spain were deported, France24 reports.

Watch: Deported Afghans cross Pakistan border confused and angry

According to the German government, at the end of November there were around 3,000 Afghans in Pakistan who had been accepted under the relocation schemes but were still waiting to be brought to Germany. A further 300 Afghans were stranded in Iran and more than 8,000 in Afghanistan, bringing the total due to be relocated to Germany to 11,500. 

Two years after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021 and the large-scale evacuations from Kabul, criticisms persist against those countries that pledged to help Afghan nationals through humanitarian protection, refugee family reunions and other resettlement schemes. A report by the International Rescue Committee, a charity, accused the EU of "staggering neglect".

Fearing that they will be detained or expelled despite having been promised admission to third countries, many Afghans have gone underground. Others have petitioned Pakistan’s Supreme Court, asking it to hear a case on whether the deportations are lawful.

Also read: Afghans at risk: Where to seek help

With dpa, Reuters