No Prime Minister: It Is Not About ‘So What?’ – OpEd
The incumbent interim Prime Minister of Pakistan asserted while answering to a question about the Pakistani brain drain – “So what, people leave Pakistan.” He said that people in India during the 1960s also left that country, but came back and served the country. His observation looks ambiguous and it testifies that he is unaware of history though he is claimed to be a well educated. It further reflects he is a sycophant, over confident, and is facing superiority complex.
When a brain drain happend in India during the 1960,s history testifies a small portion of people came back and a lion share still living in abroad. Those Indian who came back to India after decades were as a result of economic stability in the country where people found hope to live a reasonable life. Comparing it with Pakistan is nothing rather twisting of facts. As those Pakistanis who go to abroad donot come back owing to the dwindling economic situation of the country. Why will they come back when they have to face unemployment and poverty?
At current, India is still the biggest exporter of healthcare worker force to Gulf countries and European countries. According to Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, there was a staggering presence of 69,000 Indian doctors in the UK, USA, Canada, and Australia in the year 2017 alone. As of 2020, India provided the largest diaspora of highly skilled individuals in OECD countries, with over 3 million migrants who are beneficiaries of post-secondary education. In addition, Ministry of Home Affairs reported that 881,254 Indians have renounced their citizenship since 2015 which means on average, 345 people have been leaving the country daily for the last seven years. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs repoted that 13,383,718 Indians are currently living in foreign countries. This data tells that our educated Prime Minister looks unaware of factuality.
In 2022 in Pakistan 225,000 people left the country. During the first six months of 2023, a well qualified 400000 people left Pakistan while the total youth that departed the country were 832000. At the same time, during the last five years 2.75 million people left Pakistan. This is legal data while unauthorised means of human trafficking are not included in it. The racent example when hundreds of Pakistani who were going to Europe illegally died in Greek boat tragedy testifies how people are in a hurry in departing the country through human trafficking.
Mr. Prime Minister, it is not about so what.
It is about poverty, unemployment, lack of educational and helathcare facilities, insecurity, inflation, dearth of business opportunities, economic and social inequalities, and paucity of social protection. The educated Prime Minister should have answered as to why are they leaving and should have replied what should be done by prividing a plan. Instead of talking on human sufferings and pains Mr. Kakar okayed the already dwindling situation of living in the country.
No one leaves his beloved family for years. When onse children are deprived of education, healthcare, social protection, and when people are engulfed by poverty, inflation, unemployment, and pathetic economic hurdles he has no option left rather to leave the country. Mr. Prime Minister, feel the sensitivity rather than making exaggeration and blunt statements.
