New Refugee Camps To Be Established In Pakistan

New Afghan refugee camps will be established in the North-Western Frontier Province of Pakistan (NWFP.) NWFP Governor Iftihar Hussein Shah stated in the course of his meeting in Peshawar with the UNHCR representatives that province's authorities agreed to establish new refugee camps, but only in the eight-kilometre zone along the Afghan-Pakistani border, the On-line news agency reported. UN experts forecast that "in adversary situation" more than one million Afghan refugees can arrive in the bordering regions of Pakistan. Establishment of refugee camps in the eight-kilometre zone along the Afghan-Pakistani border is also based on the security concerns. Authorities fear that Afghan refugees may arrive in Pakistan together with Taliban supporters who can destabilize the already tense situation in the Pooshto-inhabited regions. Besides, the Pakistani government claims that it has no resources to maintain new refugees and in this connection, it appeals to the aid of international community. At the present time, more than 3 mln. Afghans are living in Pakistan. According to the UN data, approximately 25,000 Afghans illegally arrived in the country over the past month.