The Church of Scotland has called on the UK Government to take urgent action to establish safe routes to resettlement for Afghans seeking refuge
Speaking ahead of the House of Commons debate on Afghanistan, Lord Wallace, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, said: “The General Assembly has taken a keen interest in developments in Afghanistan since 2002 and it is with great sadness and horror that we are watching this humanitarian crisis unfold.
“We stand in prayer and solidarity with all those who fear oppression and violence which puts the lives of millions of people at risk and displaces thousands.
“The Bible makes it clear that we must care for and support those who are oppressed and seeking sanctuary. We urge the UK Government to take immediately all possible action to protect those lives and the dignity of endangered Afghan people."
Lord Wallace continued: “Earlier this year, the General Assembly passed a deliverance calling for the development of safe and legal routes for people desperately seeking sanctuary so that they can travel, live, work and contribute to our society.
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“We urge the UK Government to establish an extended resettlement programme and end attempts to return people who have been refused asylum to Afghanistan. We must allow more people to make use of family reunion rights so they can join their relatives who have settled in the UK.
“They should ensure that Afghans will not be penalised for seeking refuge in the UK via ‘irregular routes’ which is being proposed under the Nationality and Borders Bill.”
Refugees arrive in the UK
Lord Wallace is encouraging people to sign an online petition calling for the urgent resettlement of 20,000 Afghans.
He is also inviting them to join senior church leaders in prayer and lament on Thursday and raise their voices in hope for people in Afghanistan who face an anxious future.
Boris Johnson said today that officials had so far secured the safe return of 306 UK nationals and 2,052 Afghans, with a further 2,000 Afghan applications completed and many more being processed.
Overnight, the UK Government announced plans to resettle 20,000 vulnerable Afghans – particularly women and girls – with 5,000 arriving in the first 12 months.
READ MORE: Priti Patel says scheme to resettle 20,000 vulnerable Afghans in UK 'could be expanded'
The plan drew criticism from some MPs that it was not generous enough but Home Secretary Priti Patel said it was important to have the right support in place first.
“We cannot accommodate 20,000 people all in one go. This is an enormous effort. We can’t do this on our own,” she told Sky News.
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