Pakistan is losing its potential in the form of brain drain. Every day the highly skilled, educated and talented youth is leaving the country for better opportunities abroad. It is obvious why they prefer to leave. If you ask them, why do they want to leave, they all have the same response. That response being, there is nothing here for us or we have no opportunity to grow here or this country is only for the elites now.
One could argue that instead of thinking what has this country given me, the mindset should be what can I do for this country. But this argument sounds appealing only for the sake of the argument. Reality is much different. In reality, there are little avenues for young, talented individuals to showcase their talent and capitalize on it. Be it in business, sports, academics or innovation.
According to the Eurasia Review, in 2022 around 833,000 Pakistanis emigrated, marking the highest number of departures since 2016. Out of these, 92,000 were skilled graduates. This significant migration highlights the country’s ongoing brain drain, particularly with professionals such as doctors, engineers, and IT experts leaving in search of better job opportunities abroad. This number is only increasing day by day, and in the long – term, it is not good for Pakistan.
These individuals possess the potential to save Pakistan from economic woes, political instability and put the state on the path towards prosperity. The dilemma now is whether to stay and work towards the betterment of the country (or at least try to) or leave and pursue a life abroad. It is imperative for the government to create opportunities for the youth and incentivize them to stay.
For example, meddling with internet by the decision makers must be halted so that the IT industry prospers. Furthermore, merit must be given priority over nepotism. Also, there is a strict need for proper counselling for young individuals who are confused what to pursue. Obviously, there are much more factors that need to be explored. Suitable policies are required to gradually change this norm.
Seasonal leaders and businessmen turned politicians will not save this country. The youth is all this sinking ship of a country has, and it is their moral responsibility to save this sinking ship.On the other hand, survival takes precedence over moral responsibility for many, which is somewhat justifiable. Daily, the majority of the youth is constantly reminded in one way or the other, that the prospect of a bright future within the state is very bleak. Be it the lack of justice in the Karsaz accident recently (where a rich female individual killed two innocent people and injured a few by driving drunk), or applying for jobs daily but only being offered unpaid internships, or the news of firewalls being installed in the state. Conditions like these, contribute to Brain Drain, compelling the individuals to leave the state, settle abroad and contribute in the economy of an already developed state.
The future scenario will be one of the following two: first is that massive numbers of youth leave the state, which allow for the trouble makers to attain power more easily and the country as a whole deteriorates further. There is no coming back from this scenario. The second one is that the decision makers realize this as a sensitive issue and work towards curbing it as much as possible. As a result, gradually the youth is motivated and incentivized to stay by appropriate policies being formulated and implemented effectively. They contribute to the economy; they join politics and they attempt to turn this state into a place which they can call home.
The Author, Ali Danish Wassan is a 7th-semester International Relations student at Bahria University.