Leaving home

A new report by the International Organisation of Migration has exploded some myths about Pakistanis who risk life and limb to escape the country. While there is no accurate count of the total number of Pakistani citizens who have fled, the IOM spoke to many of those who went to Europe through the Central and Eastern Mediterranean routes. It found that a majority of people had left Pakistan for economic reasons, with fear for personal safety and escaping a war zone ranking below it. Generally, when we think of migrants who have defied all the dangers associated with fleeing to Europe we think of those who are stuck in Fata and trying to escape militancy. In fact, well over 50 percent of the migrants are from Punjab, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa coming a distant second. Those who do migrate face a treacherous path to Europe and the opportunities is provides. Many of the migrants first stay for at least a year in another country – Turkey being a prime location – before trying to make their way to Europe. Those who survive the dangerous route on small rubber boats face the possibility of being detained in squalid immigrant camps or, in the cases of countries like Hungary, even being refused entry.

For Pakistan, there are two points in the report to reflect on. First, the country has so badly let down its citizens that so many of them are willing to jeopardise their lives for better opportunities elsewhere. We also should not underestimate the number of minorities, including Hazara Shias and Ahmadis, who feel their only chance of survival is to flee. Secondly, many of these migrants are only able to escape with the help of human smuggling networks. As the recent killings of people from Punjab who were being smuggled out of the country shows, this is very dangerous in itself. Hundreds of people have drowned in the Mediterranean trying to reach Italy because smugglers try to fit in as many people as they can on tiny boats. The challenge for Pakistan is to show would-be migrants that there is hope for them in their own country. When the state itself practises discrimination, does not take care of the hundreds of thousands of internally-displaced people and is unable to guarantee jobs for all, there will always be those who are willing to risk death in search of a better life. The IOM report should be a wake-up call to a state that is failing its own people.