Labour party backtracks on Afghan interpreter debate

Parliament will debate the pending deportation of an Afghan interpreter for the Dutch army after all, now the Labour party has had a change of heart.

The man lost his appeal for asylum and is to be sent back to Norway, which in turn plans to send him back to his country of origin.

Opposition parties wanted to discuss junior justice minister Fred Teeven’s refusal to give Abdhul Ghafoor Ahmadzai refugee status even though he had worked for the Dutch army in Uruzgan. On Wednesday it appeared Labour MPs had blocked the proposal.

Now, however, the party has had a change of heart. Some 10,000 people have signed an online petition calling for Ahmadzai to be given a residency permit. It is not clear when the debate will take place.

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