Around 350,000 Pakistanis fled the country in search of greener pastures in the first six months of 2025, which includes skilled professionals like doctors, dentists and lawyers. As the country grapples with the impact of climate change, the future has never looked bleaker. Economic instability, rising unemployment, rampant corruption and lack of opportunities are only some of the factors impelling Pakistanis to seek opportunities abroad.
No concrete study has yet been carried out to determine how many realise their dreams and how many fall by the wayside. Most struggle to find white-collar jobs and end up doing menial work, but the lure of free medical and education is too much to resist, especially in countries like Canada. All of them head for greener pastures to secure a better future for their children and, in search of better opportunities, are willing to make as many sacrifices as needed in the process.
How many dreams turn into nightmares? Quite a few, the writer suspects. These are rarely spoken about and generally, even if mentioned, are viewed with scepticism and disbelief. Those determined to go abroad turn a deaf ear to these stories and are of the firm view that the pros of relocating outweigh the cons. This country is considered a failed state, and the massive brain drain is a testament to this assertion.
The situation has deteriorated to the extent that there appears to be no light at the end of this dark, endless tunnel. The question arises that if all the educated and qualified people relocate, the unskilled and uneducated labour left behind, like parasites, will bleed the country’s resources dry. Pakistan already has a youth bulge, unlike the West, which has an ageing population. This youth bulge requires extensive resources for its upskilling and development, and without this investment and expenditure, it will merely become a liability and a burden on the country’s reserves and supplies, which are nonexistent, as it is to begin with.
As more and more individuals leave to realise their dreams, this country descends to new lows and slowly sinks into a political and economic quagmire, which will be next to impossible to emerge from
How do we capitalise and exploit the human capital that we have at our disposal? To start off with, education and awareness campaigns should be spearheaded to try and educate the masses and, more importantly, make them aware of the importance of education. Every school should have a quota for the underprivileged, and education until the age of sixteen should be mandatory. Massive investment of funds in our educational infrastructure is essential for upskilling and developing, and exploiting this human resource.
The exponential increase in population, coupled with crippling stagflation and taxation, is merely adding to the woes of the indigenous population. With opportunities drying up, the majority is heading for greener pastures abroad. The competition for white-collar jobs overseas is intense, and with the influx of immigrants, the intensity is only heightening and increasing.
However, life abroad is no bed of roses. With immigration laws tightening and people like Trump hiking visa fees in an effort to encourage more Americans into employment, the noose is getting tighter day by day. Many end up begging on the roads or barely making enough to make two ends meet, but very few, if asked, would return as hope springs eternal and sooner or later, they feel Lady Luck will smile on them and their efforts will bear fruit, which seems like a far-fetched possibility in this country for them.
With countries like Germany opening their doors, an increasingly large number of people are learning German because higher education there is free of cost. Quite a few are also trying to leave for European countries (social welfare states) in the Scandinavian belt, like Sweden and Norway, which are inviting young, skilled immigrants to come and work in their countries. Carers, physiotherapists and nurses are in high demand as young people are needed to look after an ageing population as birth rates decline. Women are starting families later and are more driven and career-oriented than ever before.
Children and childcare are a luxury that the majority cannot afford in the West. Often, in highly competitive fields like IT, for example, career breaks could spell disaster, and although there is some semblance of work-life balance in Europe, it is nonexistent in the US. Women can therefore no longer afford to take career breaks if they wish to forge ahead and excel in their careers.
As more and more individuals leave to realise their dreams, this country descends to new lows and slowly sinks into a political and economic quagmire, which will be next to impossible to emerge from. The unskilled labour left behind will feed like parasites on the country’s reserves, and the youth bulge, already slowly simmering like a volcano, will erupt as the country slowly sinks into oblivion.