The German government plans to terminate its special admission programmes for Afghan refugees, citing lengthy immigration procedures and complex bureaucratic obstacles, German broadcaster MDR reported on Monday.

The revelation, featured in the latest episode of MDR’s documentary series titled “Afghanistan and the Refugees, Germany’s False Promises,” sheds light on the growing despair among Afghans who fled to Pakistan following the Taliban takeover of Kabul in 2021. Many had hoped for resettlement in Germany but have since been living for years in uncertainty and under threat of deportation.

According to MDR, Germany’s admission programmes for at-risk Afghans have helped only a small fraction of applicants, hampered by slow processing and administrative barriers. The government now intends to cancel the initiatives entirely.

The report said around 2,000 Afghan citizens who had previously received assurances of relocation from Germany remain stranded in Pakistan awaiting visas. Many are women’s rights activists, journalists, human rights defenders, and former employees of the German military, all of whom face the risk of arrest or execution by the Taliban if forced to return to Afghanistan.

The documentary’s producers warned that such a decision could mark “the official end of Germany’s moral responsibility” toward its former Afghan partners and allies.