Stop them coming' It is not clear what specific measures the Pakistani Government has been asked to take by Mr Annan or what Islamabad's own response is likely to be. During a visit to Pakistan last month, Mr Annan was prevented from visiting the Jalozai camp. The camp is home to 70,000 Afghans, many of whom have been forced to live in the open after torrential rains and wind destroyed their shelters. A Pakistan spokesman said on Friday that Mr Annan's visit had been cancelled for security reasons. Flow continues The spokesman said registration would be allowed to resume once more refugees had been settled inside Afghanistan.
Aid agencies operating there say the plight of the refugees is worsening.
And the International Red Cross Committee said it was distributing aid to about 70,000 people in the western province of Ghor. There are now about one million Afghan refugees in Pakistan, along with an estimated two million illegal immigrants. A wave of more than 170,000 Afghan refugees has poured into Pakistan since September following a catastrophic crop failure and an escalation in the country's civil war. Donor countries' anger at the activities of the ruling Taleban, especially its recent destruction of Buddhist statues, is thought to be a factor in their unwillingness to provide aid.