Undoubtedly, progress and prosperity predominantly lie in the population of any country. The people who are skilled and well-educated contribute to the socio-economic, political, cultural, and developmental aspects of the nation. However, if there is a lack of adept and experienced people, the country will lag far behind in every aspect of life throughout the world. Unfortunately, Pakistan is also one of the countries where the threat of brain drain has been burgeoning at a rapid pace. Briefly, a situation where skilled and highly qualified people emigrate from a country to accommodate another country is called brain drain.

There are a plethora of causes that lead to the deprivation of skilled and highly qualified individuals in Pakistan; economic factors are also one of them. Sadly, the economic condition of the country is unstable. The skyrocketing inflation has imperiled the lives of the people, leading to a high suicide rate. Additionally, long hours of unannounced load shedding fan the flames of brain drain, leading to the closing of industries. Moreover, individuals are not paid according to their abilities in various departments of the country. Apart from that, security concerns have escalated the already wretched condition due to certain incidents that pave the way for brain drain. Foreign investors are not ready to invest more. Further, the killing of Ph.D. holders in remote areas on the basis of tribal hostility deprives Pakistan of talented youth; the intensified menace of extremism and lynching; oppression of animals; sectarian violence; unemployment; rampant corruption; trampling of merit; embezzling of rights; and a feudal mindset generate a sense of dejection among individuals that compels the youth to emigrate from Pakistan.

According to a report, more than 200,000 people have left for other countries in the first four months of 2024. The question arises: why were those who migrated not able to strengthen the country politically, socially, developmentally, and economically? There is a big “Yes”—they could have improved the image of the country with their sincere contributions in many aspects. However, the circumstances that propelled them out of the country should have been addressed earlier.

Nonetheless, it is high time the government pondered such issues pragmatically. Indeed, it is the prerogative of the government to ensure safety for Ph.D. holders, counter extremism and sectarian violence by implementing the National Action Plan in its true sense, provide the youth with employment opportunities according to their caliber, decrease skyrocketing inflation, alleviate abject poverty, promise political stability, resolve the energy crisis, eradicate corruption, and provide the youth with quality education. These measures would help contain brain drain in the country.

MUSADDIQUE PIRZADA,

Nawab Shah.