Open Arms; A poor land welcomes the downtrodden.(Cover Story)

Byline: Zahid Hussain and Ron Moreau

Mohammed Abbas and his brother, Mohammed Ibrahim, fled Kabul 19 years ago after Soviet forces occupied Afghanistan. They were among millions of Afghans who took refuge in neighboring Pakistan. In partnership with three other Afghans, they opened a small restaurant in Islamabad that soon became one of the most popular eating spots in the capital. "We have total freedom here," says Ibrahim. "We received tremendous support from Pakistanis." Like many successful Afghans, Ibrahim views Pakistan as his new home: "We have no intention of going back to Afghanistan."

Over the past quarter century, Pakistan has played host to, and treated honorably, more refugees than any other country in the developing world. That's saying a lot for one of the world's poorest nations. Since the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979, Pakistan has housed, fed and educated more than 5 million refugees, mainly Afghans, without isolating them and confining them to fetid, ...