Pakistan to return illegal Afghan refugees

Pakistan said it plans to send back some Afghan refugees who entered the country illegally.

Pakistan said it plans to send back some Afghan refugees who entered the country illegally.

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They have escaped a violent death. Now they are awaiting a slow death at the border.
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UN spokeswoman

Pakistani military ruler Gen Pervez Musharraf told CNN that Pakistan was straining to cope with millions of refugees driven out by two decades of fighting and a devastating drought.

He said Islamabad's position was that "we must establish camps across the border in Afghanistan". Pakistan has encouraged aid agencies to focus on helping refugees in Afghanistan.

The comment came after thousands of Afghans forced their way into Pakistan even as Pakistani guards fired over their heads.

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Pakistani officials say the Taliban has agreed to keep the refugees away from the borders and set up two refugee camps.

The United Nations will provide food and supplies for the camps. One will be about 15 miles from the border; the other about two miles from the border.

The UN has again appealed to Pakistan to open the border for the refugees. "They have escaped a violent death. Now they are awaiting a slow death at the border," a UN spokeswoman said.

PA &