The uncertain economic situation, rising inflation and ongoing political instability in Pakistan have compelled thousands of educated and skilled citizens to leave the country. According to the document of the Bureau of Immigration and overseas employment, over 700,000 people left Pakistan in 2024 for a bright future, last year the number was over 811,000. The continuous political instability in Pakistan for a long time and the growing economic crisis have pushed the future of Pakistan into darkness. The bureau said in its report, Saudi Arabia issued the most visas, followed by the United Arab Emirates, which granted visas to professionals in various categories.

The demand for professional workers has also increased in the United States and Europe, said Deputy Director Abdul Shakoor Soomro. In 2022, as many as 765,000 highly educated and skilled youth including, highly educated young doctors, engineers, IT experts, accountants and paramedics left Pakistan for a bright future, witnessing a 300 per cent increase in the country’s brain drain situation. Most of them were destined for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Due to this brain drain in 2022, Pakistan lost seven thousand engineers, 25,000 doctors, 1,600 nurses, 2,000 computer experts, 6,500 accountants, 2,600 agricultural experts and 9,00 teachers.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan