Sunday, March 13, 2022

Are all refugees equal? a question for my MP.

 

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​

 

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