Caroline Lucas, MP for Brighton Pavilion
Dear Caroline,
I am very pleased that the UK is offering refuge to
Ukrainians fleeing war. I have gathered from the government information that
Ukrainians with a family member living in the UK can apply online to come to
the UK. I am British Citizens of Afghan origin and my parents have escaped
the Taliban takeover but the government has refused
family unification for me. The decision to allow Ukrainian foreign
nationals to bring their families to the UK is contrary to the government
policy about refugees so far.
I am a British citizen and my immediate family and
friends are British born and raised including my children and girlfriend.
Furthermore, my businesses are invested in the UK. My Afghan parents have
escaped the wretched Taliban and are living in Pakistan facing tremendous
difficulties in a country with a different language, climate, culture - removed
from their relatives and home and income at an elderly age. They have no
immigration status and are hiding from a corrupt police force. displaced
and displaced from all they had and all they were. I have a moral and
historical duty to look after them but the government refuses for them to
be unified with me in absolute violation of its international obligation in
regard to refugee protection and a moral duty toward its citizens. It begs the
question why is it that the government offers refuge to families of foreign
nationals living in the UK but not to families of British citizens under the
same circumstances.
Under international law asylum is granted to a
displaced person who has crossed national boundaries and who cannot or are
unwilling to return home due to a well founded fear of persecution. my
parents have well-grounded fear; Taliban are classified as terrorist
organisation by the UK governerment which makes it well founded grounds for fear
of persecution. When you compare the decision with the one the government made
about Afghans you can clearly see its politics and a racial preference at the
core of decision making.
I hate to believe that the only reason Ukrainains with
families in the UK are offered refuge is because it serves the
government's racial and political agenda. A true tragedy for Ukrainians
which only should be treated with compassion and decency. Furthermore,
using the asylum system for political purposes diminishes public
support for refugees and fuels populism. I have lost many nights of sleep
and can not reconcile how this country still at its core operate a
racial agenda with disregard for the rule of law. I am writing to you because I
still believe you can do the right thing. Please lobby the government to
offer the same family unification visa for my parents to come and join us
in the UK.
Thank you
