According to one researcher , the refugees were those " who came from politically prominent and wealthy families with personal and business assets outside Afghanistan ; a small group who arrived with assets that they could bring with them such as trucks , cars and limited funds and who have done relatively well in Pakistan integrating into the new society and engaging successfully in commerce ; those refugees who came from the ranks of the well-educated and include professionals such as doctors , engineers and teachers ; refugees who escaped with household goods and herds of sheep , cattle and yaks but for the most part must be helped to maintain themselves ; the fifth and the largest group , constituting about 60 per cent of the refugees , are ordinary Afghans who arrived with nothing and are largely dependent on Pakistan and international efforts for sustenance . " After the September 11 attacks , when US-led forces began bombing al-Qaeda and Taliban targets in Afghanistan , a small number of Afghans fled into Pakistan . They included foreign militant groups ( al-Qaeda ) , local Taliban members and Afghan civilians who feared being caught up in the bombings . By the end of 2001 there were about five million Afghan refugees in Pakistan , including those born in Pakistan during the previous 20 years . The Afghan diaspora in Pakistan was the largest group of Afghans living outside the country at the time . It was projected that the number would increase due to the US-led intervention
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Afghans in Pakistan