THE son of an Afghan soldier detained in Pakistan has urged Britain to act, warning his father could be returned to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and killed.

The soldier fought alongside British troops for years and was named in the 2022 Ministry of Defence data leak, which exposed thousands of Afghans who applied for safe relocation under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap).

His family is still awaiting the outcome of their resettlement application.

“My father survived many years with the British forces in Afghanistan,” his son told BBC’s Newsnight. “Shoulder to shoulder, they have fought against the Taliban

“First, he was a platinum commander. Later on, as a logistic officer, he worked with the ATF Triple Four.

“If, at the moment, they are giving them back my father to [the Taliban], for sure, hope will be destroyed. And my family, all family members, will not survive anymore.”

The 2022 breach revealed the personal details of 18,714 Arap applicants and led to an unprecedented superinjunction amid fears the Taliban could target those named.

More than 100 British officials, including members of special forces and MI6, were also exposed.

In total, the government expects around 6,900 Afghans to be resettled under the Afghanistan Response Route, established after the leak.

But concerns have been raised that delays have left many applicants in limbo and at risk of reprisals.

“Please help my family and avoid their murder by the Taliban,” the soldier’s son urged when asked for his direct message to ministers.

Last month, it was confirmed that Parliament’s intelligence and security committee would launch an inquiry into the breach.

Committee chairman Lord Beamish said the cross-party watchdog would examine defence documents and assess how the error occurred, with findings expected later this year.