Washington  - The United States will offer up to 8 million dollars in aid to help refugees in Pakistan, the White House said Wednesday.

President Barack Obama in a memorandum to the State Department said the money should go towards meeting the "unexpected" needs of refugees amid a growing conflict in Pakistan between the government and opposition, as well as with Islamic extremists in its north- eastern provinces.

The funds will go to government and international aid organizations.

The Pakistani government is in the middle of a tense stand-off with the political opposition. Police arrested more than 300 people earlier Wednesday and the government banned a planned protest by opposition activists that was to begin Thursday. (dpa)