A dad who taught English in Afghanistan says he has been abandoned by the UK, two years after the country's fall to the Taliban.
Sayeed was recruited by the British Council from 2019-20, during which time he taught English alongside UK values (equality, diversity and inclusion) across various provinces. Following the Taliban's takeover of Kabul, he was forced to flee his home out of fear that he would be treated as a spy, which effectively places a price on his head.
He was able to escape across the border to Pakistan with his wife and toddler son in the wake of the Western pullout from the former warzone - but has been in limbo ever since. Now his visa has expired, essentially making him a prisoner in the country, while he and his family are trapped in a cramped hotel with maggot-infested food.
Meanwhile, the UK Government's response to his plea for asylum is that no suitable accommodation is available here. In an email sent to Sayeed in May, seen by the Mirror, a spokesperson said it would "arrange travel for eligible ACRS (Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme) and ARAP (Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy) people to the UK when suitable accommodation has been secured".
They added: "This means that there will be a temporary delay in issuing new visas and facilitating travel until suitable accommodation is in place." Sayeed says he has been "left in the dark for two years", with no idea of when he will be relocated, and has decided to speak out about his situation in the hope that his family can finally receive some guidance.
He told the Mirror: "We travelled at great risk to Pakistan, and we are still here more than six months later. We have now been in hiding for more than 18 months with no income and in fear for our lives.
"Our Pakistan visas have expired so we are at high risk of deportation back to Afghanistan where death or imprisonment awaits us. Our children are depressed as we spend all day in tiny rooms, which we cannot leave because the Pakistan police searches for expired visa persons everywhere. We have no access to medical care.
"We are forgotten here, and our future is unclear. The UK Government has not honoured the values which we promoted and now they have abandoned us, leaving us hopeless. The values we taught are not being demonstrated."
Sayeed taught Western culture while living in Afghanistan, and says his centre was recognised by locals as the cultural and educational division of the country's UK embassy. Recalling the conflict which broke out before the Taliban seized power, he said: "Every day we were horrified.
"My wife was pregnant at that time and it was very hot in the summer, but out of fear we had to close all the windows so that rocket firings wouldn't come inside the house. I remember it well. My father advised us to stay inside and away from the windows. We would put pillows and mattresses in front of the windows to try and protect ourselves from any bullets.
"That went on every night for three to four months. One day around eight of us were standing on the street talking when there were air strikes on the Taliban. It hit right beside us, and everyone fled to their houses. I couldn't eat for two days after that. We just saw death in front of us. We were traumatised - it was not a life of any kind."
Sayeed and several other British Council workers initially believed they could come to the UK in 2021 under the ARAP programme. But they were rejected around six months after applying, with the exception of a few others who worked alongside them with the same job, title and in the same location.
His family has been in hiding since the Taliban seized power in August of that year, then in mid-2022 the UK Government announced another resettlement programme, for which he later received eligibility. He was asked to arrange travel to a nearby country in which they would process cases, and was told that relocation would happen from there.
But six months later, Sayeed is still waiting for an estimated date on when he will be able to come to the UK. He said: "Everything has lost meaning, we're just staying in a tiny room with a kid who cries half the day and half the night The first two months my wife was really happy and hopeful - we had a valid visa at the time - but now it's been six months she doesn't want to get out of the room.
"I tell her to just come with me to the front yard but she says 'no, just keep the door closed, I don't want to talk to or see anyone, just leave me here'. We are surrounded by other people who are also hopeless, and when we talk to each other there is nothing new. Everyone is frustrated when we go back to our rooms day and night.
"We don't have money to even go to a doctor and talk about our mental health. If we were given any date, four or six months... but we don't know whether we should even expect to be relocated or issued a visa. We know nothing, We've been in the darkness for two years and it really hurts. We just want to live a normal life."
In response to Sayeed's story, a spokeswoman for the Refugee Council urged the UK Government to uphold its pledge to Afghan allies, saying it is "completely unrealistic" to expect those fleeing the Taliban to find their own accommodation in the UK. She said: "The failure of the UK's resettlement scheme for Afghans who stood by our side has resulted in hundreds being stuck in Afghanistan and Pakistan, forced to go into hiding like Sayeed.
"Many have been accepted for UK resettlement but are unable to travel, with a large number held in very precarious conditions in British Government funded hotels in Pakistan. Expecting men, women and children who have fled the Taliban to find their own accommodation in the UK while stuck in a hotel in Islamabad is completely unrealistic.
"We must uphold our pledge to give Afghans a genuine ‘warm welcome’ with functioning resettlement schemes and family reunion mechanisms, and suitable plans for long-term accommodation in the UK. Our Afghan allies deserve security and certainty, not betrayal."
A Home Office spokesman said: "The UK has made an ambitious and generous commitment to help at-risk people in Afghanistan and, so far, we have brought around 24,600 people to safety, including thousands of people through our Afghan resettlement schemes. We continue to honour our commitments to bring eligible Afghans to the UK, and we are issuing new visas to people in Afghanistan and other countries for resettlement here.
"Between 2015 and 2022, we have offered a place to over half a million people seeking safety through our safe and legal humanitarian routes. Those in need of protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach, which is often close to the region or in a neighbouring country."