London: A campaign urging UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to do more to assist former Afghan servicemen seeking asylum in Britain has gained support from a former leader of the country's ruling Conservative Party.
Following news that a former Afghan Air Force pilot, referred to as a "patriot" by coalition colleagues, had been threatened with deportation to Rwanda for entering the UK illegally, Sir Iain Duncan Smith said there needs to be more "flexibility" in letting people apply for the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy.
The pilot, who claims to have been "forgotten" by the West, was among those who had served with British forces in Afghanistan, and he went on to say that the UK has a "moral obligation" to them.
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Sunak has received a letter from the pilot, whose name has been withheld to protect him and his family, requesting help.
Sunak assured MPs last week that he would "ensure the Home Office has a look" into the situation.
The Independent, the publication running the campaign, quoted Sir Iain as saying that "with all schemes there needs to be flexibility." "It's wise to always be adaptable in these situations. It shouldn't be too difficult to transfer him to the plan since we have already established a secure route with the (ARAP) Afghan scheme.
If there is proof that the pilot is who he says he is, I assume the government can investigate it in accordance with the current safe routes and take appropriate action.
Since the pilot's case came to light, ARAP has come under intense scrutiny, with complaints that its requirements are too stringent to permit use by individuals who do not directly support the UK government.
Only 3,399 of the 18,946 Afghans who applied for asylum in the UK were found to be eligible under the programme.
Making it simpler for former Afghan military personnel to travel to the UK is something that several politicians with military backgrounds have advocated.
The potential deportation of the pilot, according to Labour MP Clive Lewis, who served with the British Army in Afghanistan, is "overwhelming(ly) wrong because it's someone who has risked their life alongside British forces, and then gets thrown to the wolves."
The very limited scope of the Afghan resettlement programme, he continued, "highlights the disconnect between the government's rhetoric and reality."Thousands of other people on the run from persecution still deserve to be given refuge in this nation.
The head of the House of Commons Defence Select Committee and an army reservist, Tobias Ellwood MP, cautioned that "there is no functioning process that allows Afghans to apply for asylum from abroad."
The Independent quoted former naval reservist and Conservative MP Julian Lewis as saying that "special consideration should also be given to genuine former military personnel who were our allies in the fight against Islamist extremists."
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The British Army Intelligence Corps veteran and his Conservative colleague Flick Drummond said: "We need to look at every case on its merits and provide sanctuary to those that need our help."
