OUR passport is the first barrier we navigate before joining a class, conference, fellowship, or an international research project. As a PhD student, I still remember the prolonged scrutiny that began at the time of departure and ended after one walked out of a foreign airport. This was inevitable even though all prerequisites had been met because mine was a green passport. The Pakistani passport dilemma is not new. It now needs to be seen from an educational perspective, often eclipsed by the disadvantages faced by business, tourism and other sectors. The educational cost is greater; visa delays result in missed admission deadlines, fellowship opportunities as well as scholarly events.

International mobility for academic pursuits — international conventions, exchange programmes, visiting fellowships, joint degrees, summer schools and collaborative grants — is the hallmark of modern higher education. But the global mobility problem has grown increasingly challenging. Students and scholars with strong passports enjoy uninterrupted mobility — an invite is swiftly followed by a ticket, hotel booking, and a short visa form. For others, such as Pakistanis, the same invitation opens the door to an endless process — from providing bank statements, property documents, employment letters, family details, travel history, proof of return, to battling the constant fear of a refusal stamp that can impact future opportunities. This is not just another inconvenience. It is structured exclusion.

Sadly, incidents of fake documents and admissions, illegal travel routes, and overstaying by students harm the credibility of Pakistani applicants. While the state must crack down on these offences, it should also ensure other citizens are protected from humiliation. The idea is not to leave genuine students and scholars at the mercy of hostile bureaucratic systems. It is to smoothen the process through stronger verification, institutional coordination and action against criminal agents, with a commitment to support legitimate educational mobility.

For many Pakistanis, administrative inconvenience is secondary to ‘mobility humiliation’ that occurs despite securing admissions, scholarships, conference invitations and research placements. The fear of being questioned, held or deported, and of being seen as a suspect, is unfair and unnecessary. It creates educational inequality, which is lack of confidence and a shattered sense of worth, exacerbated by the absence of support from our authorities. This brings additional financial and emotional cost. Educational inequality is based not on merit but on the privileges of certain nationalities, such as the difference between green and blue passports.

An academic invitation leads to an endless process.

Meanwhile, the ruling elite travels for official assignments with all sorts of institutional facilitation. The question is: if a bureaucrat can be assisted, why should a student or a scientist not be seen as an equal citizen representing the same country? Most countries facilitate their lawmakers with official passports without overlooking the future of their youth. Some even recognise academic mobility as a national interest. They support students with scholarship letters, embassy coordination, bilateral education pathways and, in some instances, special facilitation for scholars and academic staff. Pakistan should understand the importance of treating students and researchers with respect and sincerity.

We must adopt a multipronged response. First, Pakistan must commit to confronting and resolving the credibility crisis with firm action against phony admissions and illegal trafficking networks who not only exploit stud­ents but also dent the country’s image. Univ­e­rsities need to be transparent and resp­o­nsive when it com­­es to admissions and scholarship auth­entication in ord­er to restore trust both at home and globally. Second, active support for students and scholars must be ascertained through mobility support offices at educational facilities to sort out documentation, emb­assy communication and verification. Coordination between the HEC and foreign missions can open channels for students and researchers seeking to participate in conferences, fellowships and more. For instance, embassies can speed up the authentication process for academics. Moreover, databanks to document the number of learners and others who lost opportunities due to visa delays, refusals, or border issues, are crucial to assess the scale of the problem.

Finally, educational mobility is not a luxury. It is a vital part of social development. Pakistan cannot build a knowledge economy when its students and scholars are viewed with suspicion across the globe. It harms their potential to make significant contributions to various academic disciplines.

The writer is an educationist.

Published in Dawn, July 22nd, 2026