There was a time when only non-Muslim Pakistanis (Christians, particularly) wanted to leave the country. I remember a Catholic family wondering if it was safe to go and live in the US, they didn't like their husband and son being drafted to fight in Vietnam (this was in the 1960s). But today, even prosperous Pakistani Muslims want to go and live abroad, and the favored choice is Canada.
In the posh locality of Karachi where I live, maids and drivers are paid much more than in other parts of the city. My driver (a Christian) started at Rs. 25,000 p.m. five years ago, today I'm paying him Rs. 40,000 plus a loan for a motorcycle, and extra for those days when he works late. He has a cousin, also a driver who applied for employment in Canada through an agent. I am surprised at the speed with which he got the visa (at least that's what the agent has told him). But the agent (in Islamabad) wants him to pay Rs. one million right now, and another two million (in installments) after he begins working in Canada. There is every chance that the whole thing is a scam, but being illiterate, the poor man has no choice but to comply. I told my driver that his cousin won't be able to save anything until the two million rupees have been fully paid, which could take at least five years (assuming that he is actually able to get there and is not deported on arrival).
Of course, Pakistanis are not the only ones wanting to leave their countries, but it's a pity that they are not satisfied with what they're earning here.I have a few relatives who emigrated to Canada and the US, but have chosen to come back because it's very tough living there. They learnt the hard way that there's no place like home.
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