Pakistan says No to Afghan Refugees

The flow of Afghans towards Chaman, in Baluchistan province, has risen significantly in the past week as people flee the U.S.-led military attacks.

Pakistan, already home to more than two million Afghans who fled their country since 1978, says it is unable to take more. A position that runs contrary to U.N. wishes for new refugee camps to be established where emergency aid could be provided.

"This is a cause of great concern to us. Hundreds of thousands of refugees want to cross over into Pakistan and our dilemma is that we already have about two and a half million refugees here in Pakistan," military ruler General Pervez Musharraf told CNN's Larry King Live show.

"Pakistan cannot really accept refugees over this great figure of 2 and a half million," he said. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has asked Islamabad to open its borders to impoverished and starving people seeking refuge from U.S.-led attacks or the worst drought in 30 years.

But the scene at Chaman has become chaotic, as thousands of Afghans press up against the border demanding sanctuary. Border guards from both sides have opened fire in recent days in bids to control the masses.

Faced with increasing disorder, Pakistan and the Taliban reached an agreement on Monday for asylum-seeking Afghans to be kept back in Afghanistan and away from the border post.

"Yes, a Taliban minister agreed to establish camps for Afghan refugees in border areas within Afghanistan," said a senior Pakistani border guard.

Witnesses say that since the weekend, thousands of Afghans have either been admitted to Pakistan, bribed their way across or slipped through holes in border fences.

But while Islamabad insists it will not accept any more refugees, some, especially women, children, the elderly and sick, are allowed in and officials continue to assist the UNHCR in finding possible sites for new refugee camps.

U.N. spokesman Eric Falt told a news conference on Monday that Pakistan said 11 locations for new camps in North West Frontier Province and six sites in Baluchistan would be ready before the end of month.

Chaman, one of two major trade routes into Afghanistan from Pakistan, remains open for normal business, with traders, smugglers and people with valid documents able to cross.

"The border is closed right now," said a Pakistani border security guard. "But we will open it to let traffic pass, it will not be open for the refugees."

The crush of people at Chaman mostly comprises panic-stricken residents from in and around the southern city

of Kandahar, scene of some of the heaviest U.S. bombardments since attacks against Afghanistan began on October 7.

"There is a continuous mass exodus from Kandahar, the city is more or less deserted," said Hasan Ferdous from the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (UNOCHA). "Any Afghan who needs asylum should be allowed into (Pakistan)."

Pakistan also began to forcibly deport Afghans caught sneaking into the country over the past two weeks. "About 1,000 Afghans have been deported to their country on Monday," said a senior Pakistani border guard at Chaman.