first i have many family members & friends who moved back in last 10 years from North America & Europe. All of them are doing great except 2 families, well they have their own specific reason none of it is related to law/order & finance.
one of my best friend who with myself graduated around same time made a career choice he move back home and now he is regional manager portfolio at Barclay Pakistan, oki i didn’t do bad either but given all the bad news came from Pak 24/7 - i was actually happy and shocked at the same time about his achievement in few years. same is true for all the friends in schools who stay back, majority of them are doing well. Pakistan provide you with best jobs and pay if you have skills for it.
unfortunately most of the expats have expectations over the head when they want to make a move, which Pakistan can’t provide well not even in next 50 years.
i have conversation with some people regarding never going back to Pak, they have some valid reasons - but most of them just don’t wanna go back for one reason: stability. i mean when you are close to 40s, you don’t have energy to take risks such as move to new country with grownup kids.
as far i am concern, i am in New York but it always felt like a temporary stop and it is - i have more stakes in Pakistan then living here. In New York, i am just working my ass of to pay bills and that’s all. Being in Pakistan i can payback in terms of technical/management skills, start a VC .. i mean opportunities are endless which can actually help in making difference in the life’s of ordinary people which definitely Pakistan require.
in the end for haters, country is like a mother you can hate her, but can’t leave her - when she is sick, you take her to doctor - when she is old and doing bad, you try to help her - that’s what Pakistan require today - Pakistan is on her knees - she requires her sons & daughters to take care of her.
I know of a family who moved back to Pakistan but the guy had moved to Canada for studies, then got a job and stayed there. His father passed away and mother was alone so he moved back. He got a very good job after a year of struggle. He had very young kids when he moved.
I know of another family where the guy sent back his wife and kids to Pakistan when the kids were young. He himself stayed in US becuase he thought he cannot get a good enough job back in Pakistan. Then when the 2 elder kids got to highschool he brought them all back. The two younger kids are attending elementry school now I think. I personally did not understand the entire arrangement.
My husband and I have been talking abt moving back to Pakistan and the main reason is to take care of his family back home (parents and sisters.) He is the eldest child and the only son. His father is really sick and we hate it that he is still running the business.
I have been living in the US for 16 years. But my husband told me on our first date that we will eventually have to move back one day or unless i can convince his parents to move to the US. My FIL's health wouldn't allow for such a long flight or the latter option is out for now. I support my husband 100% in this move...but just have to figure out everything else first...like jobs etc.
My only reason for moving to Pakistan would be a brighter and easier future, which doesnt seem to be happening anytime soon considering the state of the land and people.
Having said that I know someone who was brought up in Europe (came when he was 5-6 years old) and he just recently located back with his family for some time in Pakistan at the age of 37.
i would like to go back, because my entire family is there and i miss them like anything :(. but then i have been away for 7 yrs. i grew up in pak and loved every sec
imagine pakistan closes doors to oversea pakistanis (for whatever reason) and us/uk/etc. starts deporting British/american pakistanis ... it be SO funny
but pakistan will always accept no matter how much one dislikes the land, condition or the people
Eh? By your logic, where will british/american pakistanis go?
Seriously, your post makes absolutely zero sense.
To answer the post: I don't think I could move there. Call me spoiled but I like having electricity :-/ Boo hoo.
Eni you didn't want this thread to turn into bashing anyone but some people still did it. Why do overseas Pakistanis who don't want to move back have to be snooby or spoiled? Just like Pakistanis living in Pakistan are comfortable in their life there overseas Pakistanis are comfortable in their lives here. I am a very proud Pakistani and don't go around saying negative things about the country but I like my life as it is with my family here so I don't see a reason to move anywhere.
@Sara516 that's exactly what ShehryarKhan is saying that we wouldn't have anywhere to go and sucks for us because no one will want us. This attitude is kinda sad.
Eni you didn't want this thread to turn into bashing anyone but some people still did it. Why do overseas Pakistanis who don't want to move back have to be snooby or spoiled? Just like Pakistanis living in Pakistan are comfortable in their life there overseas Pakistanis are comfortable in their lives here. I am a very proud Pakistani and don't go around saying negative things about the country but I like my life as it is with my family here so I don't see a reason to move anywhere.
@Sara516 that's exactly what ShehryarKhan is saying that we wouldn't have anywhere to go and sucks for us because no one will want us. This attitude is kinda sad.
Country and people of the country are two different entities. :/
Thankfully, I got to travel a lot at a very young age and that has made me a well-rounded individual in terms of my ability to adapt to different cultures. By the time I was 12, I had experienced the strict way of life in Saudi Arabia, the day-to-day hardships in Pakistan, and the amenities of the west... each had its own pros and cons and there's certain things I can't relate to in all of those regions. I feel more like a passer-by, a traveller between nations... I'll be able to adjust where life takes me and since I control my life (along with Allah ki marzi of course), I have three conditions for relocating elsewhere - jaan ki amaan, financial security and apna pan. While Ireland fulfils the first two, it is an isolating place and I can't spend the rest of my life here. The Gulf region seems to fulfil all three and that is why I'm leaning more towards that part of the world as of now. Pakistan certainly offers the sense of belonging but not necessarily the first two depending on where in Pakistan you move to. Conflict is saturated in certain regions only e.g. Karachi, and I won't move there for obvious reasons. Other cities like Lahore, Islamabad are somewhat stable. Some of the most highly qualified individuals in my extended family refuse to leave Pakistan (Lahore, in particular) despite having great chances of securing a high-paying job abroad. That means life mustn't be all that crap for the average Pakistani, eh? (And yes, they are average middle class people, not executives with banglas of any sort). So yes, I would move to the safer cities of Pakistan provided I can get a decent job. Jaan ki amaan might not be guaranteed but can it be guaranteed anywhere else for that matter?
I think in the end it all comes down to the amount of money you have....you can have a luxury filled lifestyle and security anywhere if you have the money. I believe home is where the heart is and a heart can't be in two places at the same time so these replies like "oh I'd love to move back but..." are deceiving.
I think in the end it all comes down to the amount of money you have....you can have a luxury filled lifestyle and security anywhere if you have the money. I believe home is where the heart is and a heart can't be in two places at the same time so these replies like "oh I'd love to move back but..." are deceiving.
Why can't heart be at two places at the same time for people like me who haven't developed an emotional attachment with any one part of the world? I think home is where your family is so people who have been living abroad for generations with their entire khandaan obviously wouldn't see the point in moving elsewhere.
As for money, obviously you aren't going to do well in ANY part of the world if you don't earn enough to afford the basic necessities, that's common sense. But you don't have to be filthy rich to live a comfortable lifestyle in Pakistan.
Those who couldn't develop an emotional attachment with the new land , always sing ' mere chana torii kah looNge , mo'hy lay chal tu Jamna k paaR ' ..
Like my granny , she had every thing in Pakistan , but her heart was way back in Jabalpur and Hyderabad , and most of stories used to start with ' Bawa , hamaRay haaN tu ( from hamare haN she meant her Janam BhooMi in India )
Why can't heart be at two places at the same time for people like me who haven't developed an emotional attachment with any one part of the world? I think home is where your family is so people who have been living abroad for generations with their entire khandaan obviously wouldn't see the point in moving elsewhere.
As for money, obviously you aren't going to do well in ANY part of the world if you don't earn enough to afford the basic necessities, that's common sense. But you don't have to be filthy rich to live a comfortable lifestyle in Pakistan.
Home is where the family is? That makes Ireland your home. :D
Those who couldn't develop an emotional attachment with the new land , always sing ' mere chana torii kah looNge , mo'hy lay chal tu Jamna k paaR ' ..
Like my granny , she had every thing in Pakistan , but her heart was way back in Jabalpur and Hyderabad , and most of stories used to start with ' Bawa , hamaRay haaN tu ( from hamare haN she meant her Janam BhooMi in India )
That is why some people never left india for pakistan........:) though offered houses in karachi
I don’t know how that fits into the discussion but anyway…