Pakistan Loses Thousands of Skilled Professionals as Asim Munir Calls Exodus ‘Brain Gain’

Islamabad: Pakistan is witnessing a large-scale exodus of educated and skilled professionals even as Chief of Defence Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir has described the trend as “brain gain”, sparking sharp criticism from economists and political observers.

Official emigration data shows that between 2024 and 2025, nearly 5,000 doctors, 11,000 engineers and 13,000 accountants left Pakistan for overseas employment. The outflow of nurses has been even more severe, leaving public and private hospitals struggling with acute staff shortages.

Figures released since 2022 further indicate a steady rise in departures across the highly qualified, highly skilled categories, underlining a worsening crisis as professionals seek stability and growth abroad amid Pakistan’s weak economy, shrinking job market and political uncertainty.

Despite the growing concern, Asim Munir, while addressing overseas Pakistanis in April 2025, dismissed fears of brain drain, stating that the migration of skilled Pakistanis should be seen as “brain gain”. He argued that expatriates contribute to the country by acting as global representatives and by sending remittances back home.

The remarks, however, have drawn widespread backlash. Critics say Pakistan is increasingly becoming dependent on exporting talent instead of creating conditions for professionals to thrive domestically. Former senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar highlighted the report and wrote on X, "Fix politics to fix the economy!" He also stated that despite Pakistan being the 4th largest freelancing hub, it has undergone losses amounting to $1.62 billion because of internet shutdowns, putting 2.37 million freelance jobs at risk. 

The situation has been aggravated by repeated internet shutdowns, which have severely impacted Pakistan’s freelancing sector - one of the country’s major employment avenues. The disruptions have reportedly caused heavy financial losses and placed millions of freelance jobs at risk, despite Pakistan being among the world’s largest freelancing hubs.

Analysts warn that continued loss of skilled manpower could weaken Pakistan’s healthcare, engineering, financial and technology sectors in the long run. While remittances provide short-term economic relief, experts argue they cannot replace the long-term value of retaining human capital.

As departures continue to rise, pressure is mounting on policymakers to move beyond narratives and implement structural reforms that can restore confidence among Pakistan’s educated workforce and give them a reason to stay.

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