An Afghan ex-interpreter says his family members have been left to die at the hands of the Taliban by the New Zealand government.
An RNZAF C130 which landed in Kabul and evacuated a number of New Zealanders and Australians. Photo: Supplied / New Zealand Defence Force
Time is quickly running out for those trying to escape Afghanistan as the new rulers of the country insist all foreign forces must leave by next Tuesday.
Combined military forces airlifted about 19,000 more people out of Kabul airport over the past 24 hours, including Western citizens and those Afghans who had helped NATO forces.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade however this morning confirmed it had stopped processing visa resettlement applications due to what it called the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan.
The move has been strongly condemned by human rights advocates.
Diamond Kazimi, who assisted the New Zealand Defence Force in Afghanistan, told Morning Report he had received word yesterday that relocation visas were no longer being processed and that immigration officials were clearing a backlog of existing applications.
He said lack of urgency by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) was making it impossible for his family to leave by Tuesday and the decision had effectively handed them over to the Taliban to die.
Kazimi, who has lived in New Zealand for 10 years, added he had lost any hope visas would be processed in time.
"We just got a message last night from Foreign Affairs that they're no longer processing applications for resettlement and that, unfortunately, they cannot do much with these families that have been left behind," he said.
"So literally, they've been handed over to the Taliban, in other words. That means basically my family will be left behind in Afghanistan."
Kazimi said if his family were to receive visas after Tuesday it would put their lives in greater danger, as the documents would serve to mark them out as aligned to NATO western military powers.
"The situation in Afghanistan is really dangerous at the moment, especially for people trying to make it to the airport and the limited flights for New Zealanders and Afghan nationals who have assisted the New Zealand Defence Force," he said.
"We've got 200 families that have assisted the New Zealand Defence Force personnel... They're still waiting for their visas, they're still waiting for them to be processed.
"My siblings, I've got two sisters and a brother that literally can't even go outside. They're just waiting for this miracle visa, but now that they've got a message they are no longer processing, they just have to accept their reality that I've been left there to die.
"There's not much process, there's not much planning. Look at what our neighbouring country's doing, Australia, and America and Canada - they've got thousands out by now."
He said New Zealand had been afforded years to reunite people like himself with loved ones, but hadn't followed through to fulfil humanitarian obligations.
"It's too late now. We've had many years of these opportunities to help these individuals who assisted New Zealand Defence Force and other government agencies to reunite them with their families and at least help them evacuate since 2017," he said.
"Now we're in 2021 and we still have a couple more days to help them. But now that official websites with MFAT and the email saying they are no longer processing visas or resettlement applications it's basically their answer that they can't help them."
The US this morning said it would try to remove people as many as possible over the next six days, but that the crammed Kabul airport was making operations logistically challenging.
New Zealanders and Australians are evacuated after an RNZAF C130 lands in Kabul this week. Photo: Supplied / New Zealand Defence Force
A Defence Force Hercules has arrived back at its base in the Middle East yesterday after evacuating a second group of New Zealand and Australian nationals from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan.
About 80 personnel overall are involved in the current mission, including 19 in the Middle East.
Human rights advocates condemn move
As the mission continues, more than 10,000 people have signed a petition asking the government to increase the numbers of refugees being evacuated from Afghanistan.
The joint petition by Amnesty International, Oxfam and Action Station highlights the grave concerns they have for civilians, women's rights advocates, journalists and researchers.
Amnesty International Aotearoa Campaigns Director Lisa Woods, who is presenting the petition to Golriz Ghahraman today, told Morning Report the government's decision to halt processing of visa applications was "incredibly disappointing."
"It's unacceptable, given the magnitude of the human rights crisis we're facing. The New Zealand government really needs to step up urgently. So we're calling on them immediately, within this closing window, to widen evacuation support to more people.
"But they also need to be thinking longer term, in terms of what are they doing to help refugees in New Zealand."
Woods said advocates would keep putting the pressure on government to do so.
"I think it's important for people to know is that we do have the capacity here in New Zealand to do more, so that we shouldn't just stop. We should keep that pressure on until the government recognises its obligations and carries them out."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been approached for comment over the decision to stop processing visa applications.
