Brain drain and labour export are two different things. The mass exodus of 20-something and 30-something-year-olds with MBAs to Canada and Australia is a brain drain. And as any immigration consultant will tell you, a long line of youth is eager to leave the country with its lack of employment opportunities and high inflation rates.

But Pakistan is not the only country whose youth want to flee. When aspiring immigrants apply, they are competing with the world, which is why the number is not as high as many fake news headlines would have you believe.

The bulk of Pakistani emigrants are labour exports — semi-skilled and unskilled workers that are instrumental in sending remittances but would have trouble finding jobs at home owing to the high levels of unemployment.

And having qualified locals finding jobs abroad is not the nightmare news that it is often perceived as. The chairman and CEO of Microsoft Satya Nadella is Indian. The CEO of Alphabet, Google’s parent company, Sundar Picha, grew up in a middle-income family in Tamil Nadu, India. The president of the World Bank Group, an institution Pakistan frequently requests loans, was born and raised in India. And the list of powerful Indian CEO in the US continues. Would they be considered brain drain as well?

Having a strong, active diaspora abroad is a means of promoting the nation’s and culture’s interests. Take one small example: Mr Nadella is a major player in bringing cricket to America through league matches, which could also provide more employment opportunities for Pakistani cricketers.

Besides sending remittances to keep the economy, a strong Pakistani diaspora abroad could help build the country’s value internationally through success stories. It would have the ability to spread Pakistan’s soft power and lobby for national interests.

Earning in foreign currencies, those successful abroad have money to make investments. That is why last week, Ambassador to the United States Masood Khan urged Pakistani Americans to scale up their investments in the country. Supporting Pakistan from abroad does not contribute to the fears of a brain drain phenomenon.

Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, July 24th, 2023