I never wanted to relocate. Earning a good amount from a respectable job, my husband earning too well too after a period of initial years of struggle. Life was all set with us being able to take care of the family, being a lovable and a loving part of them, happy in our own little world with not much to expect from life but with an unsatiable desire to soar higher and keep on constant struggle to move ahead. I was never the type of person to be satisfied with the status quo.
Given all of that, moving abroad was and is never on my wishlist. Trying to improve our standard of living with each passing day was always an instinct, making new plans, discussing ideas every now and then, finding new approaches to better establish ourselves, yet passed 12 solid years serving the same organization as it did provide a changed set of challenges to achieve every year satiating my nature.
I am still a person who thinks life is where family is who firmly believe that the grass is always greener on the other side and starting from scratch in a new nation has its own demands.
However, according to the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment there are about 12 lac Pakistanis who have left the country in despair in the last two years. In 2021, about 225,000 Pakistanis left the country, but the number nearly tripled to 832,339 in 2022.
A record-breaking 800,000 Pakistanis left the country in the first half of 2023, with at least 100,000 of them being highly skilled professionals, including doctors, nurses, engineers, IT experts, and accountants.
This has lead to the greatest brain-drain ever experienced in the post-partition history of migration.
These figures are not shocking but heart-wrenching. When I inquired about their reasons for relocation, most of my contacts had lost hope in the betterment of the country’s economical, political and social systems.
Witnessing the level of injustices, prevalent in the society along with rising levels of corruption and unemployment fueled migration. Although ,many held the same core values and belief system and did not want to leave their ancestral homeland, they felt themselves in the state of self-exile as an only escape from its incompetent and corrupt ruling elite; and the deteriorating conditions of Pakistan.
It shatters me to pieces to think that the high hopes we had regarding improvement in the various parameters of Pakitan’s system-since its my beloved country- have tarnished.
Giving our children a bright future in terms of ample opportunities in a comparatively just society with better food and air quality are our priorities too.
I too, will have to leave the country and escape from the very things I wanted to improve. I know it is not a solution at all and can’t help us become a great nation but this nation has to work its own way out minus many of us.
Given the scenario, tell me if I am mistaken and thinking on the wrong lines. Be pragmatic and not idealistic please. Provide me with your feedback and share your experiences.
About the author:
Aysha Jabbar Khan is associated with Education Sector for the last 12 years. She has performed job roles from planning to implementing and evaluating students learning, suggesting improvements to bring about a change that is aligned with the demands of time and era. Currently working with a top-notch international school, she has embarked on a journey to discover helself and extend her capabilities to contribute to philanthropic activities and other sectors of the community.
Reach out to her at:
ayshajabbark@gmail.com
