The plight of Afghani interpreters (continued)

In 2 recent blogs (Afghani interpreters still left to their fate, 3rd Sept 2015 & John Oliver on “Translators”: The plight of Afghani interpreters, 12th Feb, 2015) we highlighted the plight of the Afghan interpreters who risked their lives to help British forces in the conflict zones. We reported the seemingly shameful treatment meted out to them by the British government (and the silence of Her Majesty’s Opposition).

To its credit, the Daily Mail (normally a constant target of the liberal elite) has taken up the cudgels on behalf of this deserving group, who have consistently been refused to settle in the country whose armed forces they so diligently served. Quite why they should be treated in this way is a mystery, since they are all highly qualified English speakers who could presumably find ready employment in the UK.

Compare and contrast with the wave of sympathy being extended to the plight of refugees / economic migrants currently pouring into Greece, Hungary and the Balkans, whose bona fides as to their status seems to go unquestioned. The fact that these healthy young men (and most of them are healthy and young) are being brought over by criminal trafficking gangs seems of little concern.

Meanwhile the Afghan interpreters, who have served the UK well, are being ignored.

The Daily Mail reports that dozens of veterans and senior military personnel have lent their support to the campaign to grant the interpreters asylum in this country.

A petition has been organised to urge the government to save the interpreters from the threat of the Taliban. The article is illustrated with the personal stories of these brave linguists. The petition is being organised by Major James Driscoll, whose Afghan interpreter’s family were killed by insurgents. The petition is here.

One of the interpreters, Baryalai Shams, lives in Germany because Britain rejected his pleas for help.

180,000 people have already signed the petition and we have too, and this means that it has passed the 100,000 threshold which obliges the government to raise the issue in Parliament. Let’s hope our MPs (from all parties) will take heed and do something to help these interpreters.

To read our previous Blog on this subject, click here

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