Exodus of minorities

In recent years, Pakistan has consistently ranked among those countries whose nationals have been seeking asylum abroad and this year is no different. According to data released by Germany, the UK and the US, over 10,000 Pakistanis have sought asylum in these three countries during the last year. The majority of them headed towards Germany probably due to its asylum policy being rather generous in comparison to other Western countries. The data from the US has divided asylum seekers by religion and not surprisingly, the demographics reveal that these individuals, by and large, belong to minority communities in Pakistan that are often persecuted on religious grounds. The persecution has grown worse in recent years with attacks on places of worship, prevalence of hate speech and an overall atmosphere of intolerance. Apart from the loss of life, minorities in Pakistan have to suffer daily indignities and are often discriminated against in educational institutions, workplaces and social gatherings.

The only other countries whose nationals are claiming more asylums than Pakistanis have been ravaged by war. This is a desperately sad situation and one which needs to be addressed. Traditionally, responses to the high number of asylum seekers are dismissive and they are often labelled as opportunists who exploit their supposedly disadvantaged status for economic benefit. If the level of hardship and sacrifice required for a refugee to carve out a meagre living in their adopted country was understood, those lobbing such criticisms would think twice. Leaving one’s country to become a refugee with a precarious legal and economic status in a foreign land is a daunting prospect, which fazes all except those who have very little to lose from selecting this risky option. If the process was any easier, the number of asylum seekers from Pakistan would probably increase even more. Both our government and people must realise that this continued exodus is damaging our society as we are losing talented individuals and reducing our religious diversity.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 5^th, 2016.

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