Pakistan to expel Afghan refugees

The refugees cannot leave until paperwork is processed by the United Nations and Pakistan authorities. Refugees who miss the deadline may be open to prosecution by the Pakistani government.

Hundreds of families waiting for their paperwork have spent weeks living in trucks, languishing in the heat without basic amenities or proper sanitation.

At least four million have left Afghanistan since Russian forces invaded their country in 1979.

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) says it cannot process refugee papers any quicker.

It also said that some people may simply be looking for the $100 dollars that has been offered by the UN agency to those that register.

Hundreds of trucks, paid for by the UNHCR to carry these people back to Afghanistan, have parked together to provide temporary respite for people who are angry about being mistreated.

Forced repatriation

Many refugees say they are being humiliated while they wait in limbo with their family members. Many have been living this way for more than three weeks.

Gul Wali, an Afghan refugee, said: "We have to spend thousands of rupees to go to our homeland, which is almost impossible for us. Our conditions here are miserable."

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