Abandoning ship

Every year, a wave of talent and potential slips through Pakistan’s borders, as an increasing number of professionals, from doctors to engineers and tech experts, leave in search of better opportunities. In 2023 alone, 862,000 Pakistanis emigrated, marking a sharp rise in the country’s ongoing brain drain. This phenomenon is driven by the weight of economic hardship, political instability, and the looming threat of unemployment. Pakistan’s brightest minds are abandoning a nation that no longer seems to offer the future they deserve. Over the past decade, 13.53 million Pakistanis have sought better lives abroad, and this outflow shows no signs of slowing down.

This loss is not just a statistic but a devastating blow to the nation’s economic and intellectual potential. With every departing expert, Pakistan loses its ability to innovate, grow, and compete on the global stage. The question that hangs in the air: will Pakistan continue to lose its brightest minds, or will it create an environment that draws them back, giving them a reason to build the future here, at home?

Rohit Kumar

Sukkur