'It’s one of those things which is beyond imagination'

We met an Afghan asylum seeker who built a new life in Manchester

Dear Millers — in yesterday’s briefing we looked at asylum seeker settlement from the perspective of numbers and allocations and rules. Today we bring you another side of the story — a personal tale from an Afghan man called Zia, who came here to escape the Taliban 20 years ago. 

Dani met him in Cheetham Hill and he told her about his perilous journey to Manchester, how he navigated the asylum process with no English, and his frustrations with his local MP as he tries to help family members escape the resurgent Taliban this year.