The desire to flee the country has never been more acute in Pakistan. Anyone with half a chance and even a little above meagre means has either applied for; is in the process of applying; or is contemplating applying for immigration to wherever immigration opportunities are open.

Hope and optimism for a secure future are at an all time low and the only logical plan of action seems to be to turn tail and run. What else will people do when the government and its elected members of cabinet leave their people to face catastrophes alone? No ground management, no sleepless nights to save lives of those who have given them their jobs. It’s each man for himself here.

The morass created by corrupt governance, substandard infrastructure and a failed economy has sapped the most patriotic Pakistani’s strength. Staunch nationalists who always looked at the brighter side, refusing to give up their proud Pakistani status have thrown in the towel, unable to fight the disintegrating social order.

The distressing aspect of this loss of human resource is that the brain drained from Pakistan is never given its due status in countries where these immigrants end up.

Canada and Australia are still the preferred lands for opportunities mainly because immigration is open here and while procedures are getting stringent, acceptance to these countries has achievable odds.

But while ‘getting out’ with a bit of savings and lots of hope may seem possible, what follows in the foreign land does not always have a happy end. I know of many cases where a decade later the ‘immigrant’ who was once an engineer in his home country is still stuck in a security guard’s uniform or is keeping the stove burning by driving cabs.

But such stories have been told many times before by many a disgruntled expat. The woeful tales of how the worth of immigrating professionals remains unrecognised — especially in the non-inclusive society of Canadians — have filled up newspaper space many times.

And none of those sorry tales have had even a tad bit of effect on all those contemplating the move to supposedly greener pastures. Each immigrating individual has the optimistic vision of how things would turn out differently. And for some lucky ones they do too. Not everyone ends up driving a cab or serving burgers at a fast food restaurant. If they are smart enough to get themselves immediately educated as per Canadian requirements professional options do become available. But the road is usually long and arduous and along the way remorse at the loss of a sound professional standing, becomes a continuous companion.

For majority of the immigrants it is their children’s future that is the motivating factor. To provide them with every educational opportunity in a safe environment is every parent’s desire. And it is a sad, sad reality that this cannot be ensured in Pakistan. Either safety becomes an issue, or access to good institutes becomes a challenge.

When I was moving to Canada, my brother — one of those die-hard nationals – had argued vehemently on why it was necessary for me to want a foreign education for my boys. “You studied here and you made some great professional strides,” was his argument, “so why not your kids?” The point seemed irrelevant to me because in my head (as in most parents’ heads) a foreign education is most essential for future wellbeing. It would give them the edge in the professional arena, secure jobs, provide a higher standard of living etc., etc. But I didn’t stop to think that Pakistan would become an alien land for them. Once they got the taste of life in an environment where security takes on a whole new meaning, and opportunities means exploring any dream job that they fantasise about — from an aerodynamics engineer to being a chef — they wouldn’t ever look back to the country which was once their homeland. It was stupid of me not to realise they would actually become unfit for living in the country whose national anthem they once recited every morning.

Every relocating family robs the country of valuable human resource when running towards Western shores. Ironically, this very same nation with the deteriorating system has also given us the identity by which we are recognised and respected. Every year millions of youngsters with phenomenal talent and enough enthusiasm for high achievements graduate from various institutions. But for the most part, their talent is curbed by almost non-existent opportunities or their enthusiasm is subdued by a society that only promotes mediocrity or allows progress mostly through corrupt means.

Our government will never rise above its self gratifying agenda to ever bother about the future (or present) of the nation nor will it ever realise the worth of our youngsters who have mind-blowing capabilities. And with everyone now geared towards immigrating or ‘running away from this mess in Pakistan’ what hope is there of any salvation for this nation?

What a very pathetic crossroads to have reached after 63 years where your own country can neither recognise your worth nor give you succour and nor will the alien land of your choosing honour your merit.

Stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea, how will this equation ever change?