Overseas Pakistanis: Now The Real Lifeline of Pakistan’s Economy

CHITRAL: Pakistan is being kept afloat not by its industries, exports or natural resources, but by the sweat, sacrifice and hard-earned dollars of millions of its citizens working abroad. Every year, they send home around $44 billion, an amount that now accounts for nearly 10 percent of the country’s GDP and covers almost the entire external financing gap.

Someone has rightly described these remittances as “Pakistan’s oil.” Unlike oil, however, this is not a natural resource buried beneath our soil. It is the hard-earned money of nearly 10 million Pakistanis who have left their homes in search of better opportunities.

Their contribution has become particularly important since the economic crisis of 2023, when Pakistan came dangerously close to defaulting on its international financial obligations. These dollar inflows have helped strengthen foreign exchange reserves, support imports and ease pressure on the country’s external payments.

But there is a bigger question we need to ask ourselves. Why does a country with such a large and hardworking population depend so heavily on the earnings of its citizens abroad? Why are millions compelled to leave their families, homes and homeland to earn a decent living?

We should be grateful to overseas Pakistanis, but gratitude alone is not enough. Their contribution deserves recognition, respect and, above all, an economic environment that encourages them to invest their money and talents back home.

Pakistan’s greatest resource is not oil, gas or minerals. It is its people. The tragedy is that we are increasingly depending on the earnings of those who have had to leave the country to build a better future for themselves and their families.

It is time our rulers woke up to this reality. Instead of treating overseas Pakistanis merely as a source of foreign exchange, they must treat them as national assets and partners in development. Give them security for their investments, respect for their rights, protection from exploitation and confidence that their money will not be wasted through corruption and mismanagement.

The ultimate measure of our success should not be how many dollars Pakistanis send home from abroad, but how many can earn a dignified living at home without having to leave their country. .. CN report, 10 Nov 2026