Breakthrough wins haven for refugees

31 Oct, 2001 11:11 AM3 mins to read

By GEOFF CUMMING AND AGENCIES

Pakistan is expected to take up to 300,000 Afghan refugees after a breakthrough visit to Islamabad by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers.

Mr Lubbers met Pakistan's leaders to try to break the deadlock at the Afghan border which has forced tens of thousands of people fleeing the United States bombing campaign to make the dangerous, expensive and illegal journey into Pakistan.

Pakistan still refuses officially to open its borders to Afghan refugees, although thousands have crossed unofficially since the bombing campaign began.

But work has begun on taking up to 300,000 of the most vulnerable refugees in 15 border camps in Pakistan, which will be ready by the middle of the month.

Mr Lubbers urged the Pakistanis to allow entry to young men who were in danger of forced conscription into the Taleban Army.

"I understand from [Pakistan ruler General Pervez Musharraf's] perspective that he cannot accept a flood of Afghans coming," he said. "But those people are really in need, and the process is going too slow. We have to facilitate those who are badly in need because they have no alternative."

An estimated 80,000 Afghans have crossed into Pakistan through unofficial entry points since September 11.

Only a small number of these are housed at a UN staging post near Quetta, on the southwest border.

Mr Lubbers urged Pakistan to stop sending illegal refugees back to Afghanistan.

The UN has been criticised for overstating the refugee crisis with its estimate that up to 1.5 million Afghans could flood across the border. That fewer are fleeing is attributed to the "targeted" US bombing raids.

But civilian casualties are mounting. The southern city of Kandahar, population 550,000 is said to be largely deserted and the capital, Kabul, is reportedly in chaos with no clean drinking water.

Taleban officials are highlighting the plight of children bitten by rabid dogs who are dying because Kabul hospitals have no vaccines.

Demands for more intensive bombing and the expected deployment of ground troops to flush out Osama bin Laden and his supporters are raising fears for civilians.

The World Food Programme and Oxfam appear to have won the argument that they should concentrate on getting food into the country rather than drawing its population out into camps in Pakistan.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has called for a quick end to the military campaign so as much food as possible can be rushed into Afghanistan before winter.

"We would want to see this whole military operation ended as soon as possible, particularly the air action, so that we can begin to move in our supplies," he said.

Mr Annan said the UN was getting "quite a bit" of food into the destitute country despite the military operations.

But Mr Lubbers stopped short of endorsing appeals for a pause in the bombing to allow humanitarian work before winter.

"It's too simple to say that the humanitarian solution is limited by airstrikes," he said.

"The military action has to be focused in a specific format to bring down the terrorist camps and the Taleban supporting them.

Mr Lubbers also called on the US and Britain to pay greater attention to the plight of the refugees.

"When there is an alliance against terrorism, there should also be an alliance for humanity.

"It should not become a war against Afghans."

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