Mass immigration poses a major threat to the economy.

On Tuesday, Dr Hanif Mughal, Senior Vice President of Pakistan Economy Watch (PEW), said that the worst economic conditions force people to flee the country to find jobs abroad. Desperate youth are risking their lives to find work abroad, and he said the exodus of highly educated and skilled people poses a major threat to the economy. According to official data, 832,000 people have left the country searching for employment in six months this year, half of whom are educated, and about 100,000 are highly educated and experts in their fields.

He added that these figures do not include those who have illegally left the country for America, Europe, the Middle East, or the Gulf countries.

In a statement today, Dr Hanif Mughal said that the brain drain is a major threat to the country as it will affect many sectors, including health, education, industry, IT, and services.

Almost one hundred and fifty thousand people are fleeing the country every month due to a lack of employment, record inflation, economic decline, and political instability.

He said that 2.8 lakh people left the country for employment in 2020 and only 2.5 lakh in 2021, but this trend increases as the situation deteriorates.

The government had to take strict measures to avoid default. At the same time, there was no expansion in the tax net; neither expenditure was controlled nor taxes were imposed on favoured sectors, which led to a rapid increase in inflation and poverty.

In these conditions, the people have no choice but to escape the country for jobs, no matter how big the risk is.

In these bleak conditions, new industries are not being established, nor are existing industries being expanded, so employment opportunities for the youth have ended. At the same time, the condition of those unemployed is also bad.

He said that frustration among the masses is on the rise, disputes in homes have become routine, and people are suffering from psychological problems.

He warned that if the current conditions do not change, society and the economy will suffer irreparable damage.