Aberdeen welcomes Afghan family who fled homeland
Local MP lobbied Home Office to help bring family from Afghanistan to north east
A North East MP has spoken of his “delight and relief” after an Afghan interpreter and his family were welcomed to a new home in Aberdeen.
Burhan Vesal was an interpreter for British forces in Afghanistan, forced to hide when the Taliban took over the country in August.
He, his wife Narcis and son Sepehr have now been given a new home by local woman Helga Macfarlane after spending 100 days in hotels around the south of England.
West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine MP Andrew Bowie lobbied the Home Office to relocate the Vesals on Ms Macfarlane’s behalf, working with Aberdeen City Council to arrange the paperwork.
The Vesals moved to the North East at the end of last week.
Burhan told Ms Macfarlane, a former radio journalist who lives with Parkinson’s: “Your generosity, your kind heart will never be forgotten.”
Mr Bowie said the North East is a “welcoming place” and thanked Ms Macfarlane for helping an "excellent family".
He said:
“The West’s withdrawal from Afghanistan was undeniably a dark day in the history of that country.
“I spoke with Burhan often, when he and his family were huddled in Kabul airport in the lead-up to the withdrawal, trying to get them on the next flight to their new home.
“They are among thousands of Afghans who have been waiting so long to be housed, in recognition of the service they have provided to the democracy of their country and our Armed Forces.
“I am so glad that they are here, although there is so much rehoming work to be done.
“It was with delight and relief that I heard the Vesals were moving to Aberdeen.
“The North East is a welcoming place and I thank Helga for opening her door to this excellent family.”
Mr Vesal is now working with the veterans’ employment community “joboppo” which helps ex-military personnel find work after service.
He told Forces.net: “One day Kabul collapsed and everything changed, life changed and we had no other options…
“We are in a new place and a new journey and I have to restart my life.”