By Maria Hameed
Pakistan is perhaps the only country where the airport departure lounge feels more hopeful than the arrival area.
Every second young person today has one dream: not becoming a doctor, engineer, journalist, entrepreneur, or scientist in Pakistan but becoming “settled abroad.” Our youth no longer ask, “What career should I choose?” The real question is, “Which country has easier immigration policies?”
And honestly, can anyone blame them?
On one side, official speeches proudly declare that Pakistan is progressing rapidly, youth are the future, opportunities are everywhere, and the nation is standing on the edge of greatness. On the other side, the same “future of the nation” is busy learning German, polishing IELTS speaking skills, and watching YouTube videos titled “How I moved to Canada in 6 months.”
This national contradiction deserves an award.
We are told unemployment is decreasing, but every educated graduate seems permanently employed only on LinkedIn, posting motivational quotes while privately emailing resumes to companies in the Middle East.
Our policymakers proudly talk about the “demographic dividend.” Apparently, the dividend is so attractive that everyone wants to cash it in overseas.
Walk into any Pakistani household today and you will witness a familiar scene. Parents who once emotionally blackmailed their children into staying close now proudly announce: “Beta Australia chala gaya hai.” The sentence is spoken with the same pride once reserved for “Beta doctor ban gaya hai.”
Even weddings have changed. Rishta requirements are no longer about character or education. Families now ask: “PR hai?” If yes, congratulations, personality no longer matters.
Meanwhile, social media has become a digital immigration consultancy. Half the reels are travel bloggers, and the other half are “visa success stories.” Youngsters don’t scroll Instagram for entertainment anymore; they scroll for escape routes.
Ironically, the people leaving are often the same people this country desperately needs researchers, doctors, engineers, journalists, IT experts, and creative minds. We spend years educating them only for another country to enjoy the benefits. Pakistan has unknowingly become the world’s most emotional training institute.
The tragedy is not that people want better opportunities. That is natural. The tragedy is that hope itself is migrating.
Our youth are exhausted from inflation, unstable policies, low salaries, favoritism, and the magical requirement of “2 years of experience” for entry-level jobs. A graduate earning less than a monthly electricity bill is somehow expected to remain patriotic with enthusiasm.
Then comes the classic lecture: “Money isn’t everything. Stay and serve your country.”
Interesting advice usually delivered by someone whose own children are already in London.
Pakistanis have mastered survival with humor. We laugh at our problems because if we stop laughing, we may start crying during load-shedding. But beneath the memes and jokes lies a serious issue: a nation cannot progress if its young people see departure as success and staying as failure.
The youth do not demand luxury. They demand dignity. They want merit instead of connections, opportunities instead of speeches, and stability instead of motivational hashtags.
No country becomes stronger by exporting its brightest minds and importing motivational slogans.
Yet despite everything, Pakistani youth continue to succeed wherever they go. They drive global tech companies, hospitals, universities, and businesses. Their talent was never the problem. The real question is why that talent struggles to breathe at home.
Perhaps the most patriotic thing young Pakistanis do today is still caring enough to feel disappointed. Because disappointment only exists where hope once lived.
Note: Maria Hameed is an MPhil researcher, media analyst, and freelance writer based in Lahore. Her work focuses on journalism, digital media, political communication, and the growing influence of artificial intelligence in Pakistan’s media landscape. She has conducted research on journalists’ and media users’ perceptions regarding AI-based applications in news production and regularly writes on emerging political narratives, social trends, youth issues, and the impact of technology on public discourse. Her primary interest lies in understanding how digital platforms and social media are reshaping journalism, democracy, and audience behaviour in Pakistan.
Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this article/opinion/comment are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the DND Thought Center and Dispatch News Desk (DND). Assumptions made within the analysis are not reflective of the position of the DND Thought Center and Dispatch News Desk.
