Pakistan is a land of talented people but is also, unfortunately, a land of ever increasing social, economic, religious and political problems. A country is represented by its people but words like terrorism, sectarianism, suicide culture, political instability are more commonly used whenever the word Pakistan comes up anywhere instead of mentioning the achievements of Pakistan and the talented youth that Pakistan is blessed with. Here, like others, I am also going to mention one such problem, as the sufferings overshadow the positivity.
Our beloved country, besides facing many other problems, is also experiencing the brain drain phenomenon. Brain drain, the flight of human capital, is the movement of skilled and educated people from one country to another with the purpose of better pay, better working, economic and living conditions. There are several reasons, which, when combined together, force a person to emigrate. Political, social and economic deprivation, religious strife in Pakistan, educational backwardness, limited or no employment opportunities, lack of merit system, low pay and insecurity are a few worth mentioning. According to the latest figures released by the overseas Pakistanis ministry, a total of 2,765,789 citizens, including 31,607 from Balochistan, have proceeded abroad for work in the last five years. In an earlier report, the ministry stated that 5,873,539 Pakistanis had emigrated from 1981 to 2012, of which a staggering 41,498 professional and technical workers left in 2012 alone. As is evident from the current prevailing state of affairs, a majority of the youth going abroad for further studies or for employment purposes never wishes to come back, which results in the loss of human resources, as they do not see any driving force behind them that compels them to return. There is less focus on providing the intellectual brains with incentives to make sure they come back to the homeland.
Every person aspires for a better and more secure future for himself, his family and for his future generations. The security situation is one of the most vital factors in our country, which compels people to move away. Every day in Karachi, Peshawar and other parts of the country, we hear news of doctors, lawyers, businessmen and common people being kidnapped and tortured. This leaves other people with no other option but to move to a better place. Every year, our country loses a number of doctors to more lucrative posts abroad. Pakistan has become a huge market for Gulf countries looking to get doctors. From August to September last year, a Saudi delegation conducted interviews to hire doctors from Pakistan, and the attractive salary packages offered to them is something they look forward to. The employment sector of Pakistan is the worst hit sector. A number of deserving graduates remain unemployed and their mere degrees and certificates just prove to be nothing but a piece of paper for them. In a country where a selection process for a job takes more than a year, what should an individual do? The rhetoric of politicians, working of government departments, institutional backwardness, incompetent policies, nepotism, inequality and lack of long-term policies on the part of the government combined together are providing them with the way out by creating conditions for the youth to leave the country even if they do not want to.
The number of professional, skilled and intelligent individuals moving to developed countries is increasing every other day. In the long term, it is a point of concern for Pakistan, which is in dire need of contributions by young, intelligent brains. The present government, working to lift up the much needed education sector of the country, should also work side by side in creating employment opportunities along with better economic incentives for its nationals to stop the young and intelligent generation from moving abroad. The youth of Pakistan is an asset for the country and so it should be a top priority — the leaders should not compromise the future of the youth. Instead of spending millions on the defence sector, with no real outcomes in the security status, some portion of that money could be utilised for the betterment of people’s living conditions. There should be more focus on providing intelligent brains with incentives to make sure they come back.
Lengthy speeches delivered by the politicians on several occasions will not solve our unlimited problems; practical steps on the part of the government needed to utilise this talent and, most importantly, to make arrangements to protect this talent. No one wants to leave their own home unless they are forced to with respect to the prevailing conditions. The situation will not improve until justice prevails at all levels. The government should turn the tables instead of turning a blind eye towards the issues and should, in time, evaluate its policies to see what it can do to retain the much-needed professionals and minds.
The writer is a researcher and has a Masters degree in International Relations