The head of the UN refugee agency, Ruud Lubbers, has called on President Bush and his allies not to allow Afghan civilians to suffer because of the ongoing military operation.

Pakistan has said it cannot afford to take any more refugees, and has closed its borders to all but a few women, children and the wounded.

The UNHCR head said the US and its allies should put the plight of refugees higher on their agenda.

Mr Lubbers said the efforts to eradicate international terrorism should not mean endless unspecified air strikes on Afghanistan.

Wants results

Aid agencies have called on Pakistan to open its borders to Afghan refugees fleeing the bombardment.

Mr Lubbers said that as he wanted practical results, he was asking the government to accept those Afghans with credible stories of fear.

He said this would mean Pakistan would have to cope with hundreds of thousands of new Afghan refugees rather than millions.

However, the huge number of refugees who have already crossed illegally into Pakistan through mountain passes or by bribing border guards, face the threat of deportation.

Refugees

Mr Lubbers said the government should give them a second chance and allow them to go to new refugee camps.

In another development, the UN special envoy for Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi, has said any post-Taleban government should be home-grown and fully owned by the people.

Mr Brahimi, on a separate visit to Pakistan, had an hour-long meeting with President Pervez Musharraf.

They agreed there should be a broad-based multi-ethnic administration in Afghanistan, which would have friendly relations with all its neighbours.