Berlin is offering cash to Afghan refugees in Pakistan if they agree to give up their places in a resettlement program in Germany, reports "Agence France-Presse".
The Afghans were accepted under a refugee scheme set up by the previous German government, but around 2,000 have been stranded in Pakistan since conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz took office in May and froze the program. The Airbridge Kabul initiative claims that refugees were sent a letter offering them money and other support in exchange for leaving the resettlement program.
In the case of a single woman, the payments would be an initial 1,500 euros in Pakistan and an additional 5,000 euros if she returned to Afghanistan or traveled to a third country.
A spokeswoman for the interior ministry said that "there are offers under a program for voluntary return to Afghanistan or departure to another third country."
The German scheme was aimed at Afghans who had worked with German forces in Afghanistan or who were considered particularly at risk by the Taliban, such as journalists, lawyers and human rights activists.
Eva Bayer of Airbridge Kabul said she was not aware of any refugees under the scheme who intended to accept the German government's latest offer, and that many of them have reacted with shock and outrage.
"I am shaking all over and I can't stop crying. I don't want money or bread, I just want to live in safety," reads one message from a refugee.
Pakistani authorities have intensified their crackdown on Afghans living in the country without a permanent residence permit in recent months.
Over the summer, more than 200 Afghans enrolled in the German program were deported to Afghanistan.
In September, a spokeswoman for the German Foreign Ministry said that an "understanding" had been reached with Pakistan that there will be no further arrests or deportations of participants in the program until the end of the year.
However, according to Airbridge Kabul, there had been 17 arrests by the end of October and the situation for Afghans in Pakistan had been made worse by military clashes between the two countries last month.
The initiative said its latest letter to refugees acknowledged that "procedures in Pakistan must be fully completed by the end of 2025" but added that "unfortunately, it cannot be guaranteed that all procedures will be completed on time".
Several groups of Afghans in the resettlement program have managed to go to Germany after filing a lawsuit against the government, with a group of 14 arriving last week.