Having barely made it halfway through the year, the Bureau of Emigration & Overseas Employment has reported that (225,375) Pakistanis have migrated to other countries from the month of January to April. The Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis has also revealed that Pakistan has lost 1.3% (3.275 million) of its population in the last five years. This problem is much more severe than we think it is as the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics proved through research that 62% of Pakistan’s youth wants to leave the country permanently for better opportunities and lifestyles.
Brain drain is the migration of skilled labor from a country and is unfortunately a significant socio-economic issue being faced by Pakistan that continues to hinder its economic development. ‘If all the Master degrees, PHDs, and bachelor degrees leave the country,’ said Rizwan Ul Haque, an immigration expert, ‘What will be left behind in our country?’
62% of Pakistan’s youth wants to leave the country permanently for better opportunities and lifestyles.
Just last year, a report published by the Pakistan Economic Survey showed that educated Pakistani emigrants consisted of 2500 doctors, 12,000 computer experts, 18,000 electrical engineers, 21,517 technicians and the list goes on. Rizwan took the time to explain Pakistan’s alarming brain drain situation. ‘After Covid-19, our country faced an economic crisis and around the same time, many countries, for example, Australia, entirely opened up its borders, welcoming almost everybody.’ ‘UK was also giving a study visa to 99.99% Pakistanis so there are multiple factors, we can’t just single one factor out.’
He further went onto explain two common circumstances for why and where most Pakistanis migrate. ‘Countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand and UK possess opportunities for skilled migrants whereas the people migrating to the Middle East usually settle for blue collar jobs.’
Rizwan lastly highlighted how brain drain is dangerous for Pakistan and its economy. ‘Pakistan will suffer from mediocrity because its human labor will be mediocre and there will be no excellence since all the PHDs, highly skilled doctors and engineers have left.’ He concluded the discussion with an amusing yet accurate statement, ‘Germany exports cars, Japan exports cars, and however, we export humans.’
In particular, Pakistan’s healthcare system has taken a strike amidst the mass emigration of doctors and nurses. Pakistan holds an unfortunate 1:1300 doctors to patient ratio in contrast to the 1:1000 ratio recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). The country’s hospitals are understaffed which is increasing the burden on remaining doctors working in healthcare.
Furthermore, Pakistan’s brain drain problem does not seem to come to an end soon. Pakistan’s youth is increasingly showing more hostility towards staying in their home country. A report published by Gallup also found that every 1 in 3 young Pakistani intended to move abroad for good. Several students ranging from college to post graduate are desperate to migrate to other countries. ‘At this stage in life, I find myself in a position where I need to be a pillar of support for my family,’ shared Adeel Sabeel, a 25 year old graduate, ‘Considering my need to settle down, I don’t believe I can thrive under such challenging circumstances.’
Moreover, a significant culminating factor would perhaps be the potential possibility of a nuclear war taking place. The recent India and Pakistan conflict has resulted in widespread chaos across the country, with many concerned about their future and well-being. The use of nuclear weapons was mentioned by Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif in late April, who claimed Pakistan would consider nuclear war if ‘there was a direct threat to our existence.’ The ceasefire serves only as a temporary cap on tensions between the two nations while leaving citizens to anticipate major chaos in the coming months. Hence, this serves as yet another reason as to why Pakistanis would want to leave the country for a more secure future.
One would expect the government to take action in order to control such a prevalent and rapidly growing issue. In recent years, Pakistan’s economy and political stability have taken a great hit. Even the most highly qualified individuals are surrounded by instability and uncertainty, therefore it is no surprise for them to seek a way out of the country to lead more stable lives.
Analysts say the government should work towards implementing mechanisms to maintain Pakistan’s pull factors. This can include allocating resources towards infrastructures, healthcare systems, researches, etc. ‘Citizens are paying 50 per cent tax but are not receiving any benefits back,’ said veteran chartered accountant and immigration expert Sikander Lalani. ‘Countries such as France have 70 per cent tax rates but the capital is invested back into their education and health sectors.’ ‘Our government needs to come back soon with the rationalization of tax policies to improve the country’s conditions.’
Furthermore, the most important pull factor is the establishment of a just and fair political system where skilled individuals are guaranteed safety and predictability. Only then can Pakistan preserve its intellectual labor and prevent the economy from further collapsing.
The writer devotes most of her time to reading and writing.