I went to the passport office in Lahore a few days ago; it came as no surprise to learn that the applicants standing in long queues had been there before dawn. Irrespective of the qualification level, skill, field of expertise they all had one dream they all longed to go to another country to attain their dreams. To my shock, most of them were between 23 to 32 years. I asked some of them why they wanted to leave Pakistan. The answer to the why was a sense of common alienation which arose from the policies of the successive governments that forced this manpower and human capital to go to the extent of leaving their homeland just to bolster their financial conditions.
It’s time we realized our respective duties and obligations to the society and our motherland so that we may not fall prey to the conspiracies of our internal and external anti state elements. The government should not overlook this monster that is sharpening its claws to pick the bones of this country. We must all strive to strengthen this country's future.
ABDUL GHAFFAR,
Lahore, December 16.