The lethal combination of political instability, economic hardship, and religious extremism is driving more and more Pakistanis out of the country, including some of the nation’s brightest minds. Should we care?
By Muhammad Ali
ISLAMABAD: The last fiscal year saw Pakistan’s passport fee collection surge by a hefty 59.7 percent year-over-year (YOY) from the year before without any increase in the rate, clearly indicating that the trend of brain drain is picking up pace.
According to official data seen by Independent Pakistan, Pakistan’s passport fee collection jumped to PKR 34.5 billion in fiscal year 2022-23 from PKR 21.6 billion in FY 2021-22.
Finance Ministry data for 2022-23 shows that passport fee collection stood at PKR 6.7 billion in the first quarter (July-Sept), but increased to PKR 16.4 billion by the end of the second quarter (Oct-Dec), surged to PKR 25.6 billion by the end of the third quarter (Jan-March), and soared to PKR 34.495 billion by the end of the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023.
In contrast, in FY 2021-22, passport fee collection in the first quarter stood at PKR 6.1 billion which went up to PKR 10.4 billion till the second quarter, increased up to PKR 15.8 billion in the third quarter and went up to PKR 21.6 billion till end of June 2022.
Without any hike in passport fees in the last financial year, this increase in passport fees clearly demonstrates that more and more Pakistanis are choosing to travel abroad for better opportunities.
The trend is even more pronounced if we take a slightly longer view. Official data shows that passport fee collection more than doubled since 2017-18, indicating that the numbers of those interested to travel abroad have increased manifold.
The passport fee collection stood at RS 13.04 billion in the financial year 2020-21, PKR 17.7 billion in 2019-20, PKR 23 billion in 2018-19, PKR 15.9 billion in 2017-18.
Pakistan has been afflicted with what is called brain drain for over two decades now. Rulers like former military strongman Gen Pervez Musharraf have tried to spin it as a good thing given how it bolsters home remittances from expat Pakistanis, but the dominant view is that it harms the country by sapping it of highly skilled and qualified people.
The reasons for why many of Pakistan’s brightest minds are leaving the country are myriad and complex, and the search for greener pastures is just one of a whole array of variables at work here.
Lack of employment opportunities is obviously a key driver of this trend as there is a shortage of well-paying jobs in Pakistan, especially in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields.
Another key driver of the trend is political instability that has plagued the country for decades now, creating an uncertain environment for businesses and investors, and making it difficult for talented Pakistanis to build successful careers in their home country.
The scourge of religious extremism is another key reason for this trend as it makes many Pakistanis feel unsafe and insecure, leading many to leave the country in search of a more tolerant environment.
Many young Pakistanis leave the country for better education abroad given how poor the quality of education in Pakistan is, especially in rural areas. Many of these bright minds never return to Pakistan, throwing roots in their host countries.
Yet another factor contributing to the trend may be some Pakistani families pressuring their children to leave the country in order to give them a better chance at a successful future.
Observers say years of brain drain have had a negative impact on Pakistan’s economic growth and development and eroded the country’s competitiveness, and that the country needs to take urgent measures to check this trend.
Any eventual solution to this problem will clearly involve Pakistan investing more in education, especially in STEM fields; creating more job opportunities; ending political instability; and tackling religious extremism.
However, it is important to understand that there is no silver bullet solution to address brain drain, given how complex a phenomenon it is. It does not help that there are no authoritative studies to establish the exact dynamics of the trend.
The need of the hour, therefore, is for the government to carry out exhaustive research to pin down its precise reasons – and to set to work to find ways and means to reverse the trend.
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