German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Thursday rejected a report that Pakistani agents have been able to enter Germany through a visa scheme for Afghans.
On a visit to the Flensburger Fahrzeugbau (FFG) defence company in the northern German city of Flensburg, Baerbock said all potential applicants are subjected to thorough security checks.
Baerbock was responding to a question following a report from the Cicero magazine, which said the German embassy in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad had warned of the programme being exploited.
One case involving a family of seven people allegedly from Afghanistan who arrived in Germany is believed to have been “orchestrated by Pakistani authorities,” the magazine said, quoting a German Foreign Office document.
Five of the alleged family members are reportedly still living in Germany, while the father, who claimed to have worked as a hairdresser for the Australian military, and one of his alleged sons are said to have had their visas cancelled.
Baerbock said visa procedures are carried out “according to law and order,” with the Interior and Foreign Ministries cooperating with security authorities, who are tasked with reviewing the situation at important embassies.