Pak sees exodus of doctors, engineers. Asim Munir's 'brain gain' claim mocked

Pakistan seems to be witnessing one of its worst-ever talent exoduses, with thousands of doctors, engineers and accountants leaving the country in just two years amid worsening economic turmoil and political instability. The reality has been laid bare by a recent government report, which said Pakistan has lost 5,000 doctors, 11,000 engineers, and 13,000 accountants over the past 24 months. It has prompted Pakistanis to ridicule the government and mock its army chief, Asim Munir, who recently tried to put a positive spin on the mass migration and called it "brain gain".

However, hard numbers are undercutting the lofty rhetoric of Munir. The report was highlighted by former Pakistani senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar. "Fix politics to fix the economy! Pakistan is also the 4th largest freelancing hub and with internet shutdowns causing losses of $1.62 billion, has put 2.37 million freelancing jobs at risk," Khokhar tweeted along with the emigration data.

WHAT PAK MIGRATION DATA SHOWS

The data, recently released by Pakistan's Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment, paints a grim picture. In 2024, 727,381 Pakistanis registered for overseas employment. This year, till November, 687,246 people have registered. What is concerning is the fact that the exodus is no longer limited to labourers seeking wages in the Gulf or "professional beggars" trying to sneak abroad.

The worst hit has been the healthcare sector. Between 2011 and 2024, Pakistan saw an unprecedented 2,144% increase in migration by nurses. The trend continued this year as well, according to a report by Pakistan's Express Tribune.

The sudden exodus of white-collar professionals has prompted the Shehbaz Sharif-led government to tighten controls at airports. In fact, 66,154 passengers were offloaded from Pakistani airports in 2025, nearly double the previous year, amid concerns over smuggling and begging rackets. Moreover, tens of thousands of Pakistanis were deported from Gulf states and other countries for begging and illegal migration.

Against this backdrop, interior minister Mohsin Naqvi announced a ban on 'professional beggars' and travellers with incomplete documents from going abroad.

ASIM MUNIR ROASTED BY PAKISTANIS

However, the latest emigration data, showing doctors and engineers leaving in droves, has triggered a wave of online sarcasm. Several users have pointed to a remark made by Asim Munir in August this year, where he called overseas migration a "brain gain" while rejecting the notion of "brain drain". He made the remark during a speech to expatriates in the United States.

Munir has now become the butt of ridicule. "According to zehni mareez (mentally ill person), it's a brain gain," one user tweeted.

Another user, Xayn, posted, "He calls it 'brain gain'... The ignorance of these men is to the point that it may lead to a serious disaster for the nation, and yet you will see them as proud and confident as Yahya, as if nothing happened."

Sajid Sikander Ali, a supporter of Imran Khan's PTI party, said Pakistan's "brain drain" wasn't a mystery. "No industry, no research funding, no jobs. PhDs return to empty labs, professionals to closed markets. You can't stop talent by humiliating people at airports, only by creating opportunity," he tweeted.

Another X user, Asif, flagged that no educated or skilled person would want to live or remain in a "hard state". "Where he/she can get abducted, tortured and possibly killed on mere difference of opinion, criticism of those being fed on taxpayer expense," he said.

It seems Pakistan is not only seeing a gap in skilled professionals but a gap between rhetoric, propounded by leaders like Asim Munir, and reality in Pakistan is also widening.

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