LAST year I had a chance to pay a visit to two offices of passport in Islamabad to get my passport renewed. The overall experience was a bitter one as compared to the one I had six years ago in Islamabad — the second home for many politicians and bureaucrats who are not at their best. It is a common impression of many.

What astonished me at these passport offices was a large number of people not in proportion with Islamabad’s population. There were people of both genders from all walks. They did not look satisfied. Their faces had signs of anxiety.

The first question comes to mind: why such a large number of people are about to leave their country. It is worth mentioning here that, according to reports and statistics, only six per cent Americans, a country with more than 320 million population, go abroad.

It is obvious that the present bitter circumstances at every level in the country are compelling people to leave Pakistan regularly and on a daily basis. It is a bad omen and a negative indicator for Pakistan.

The fact is not realised and examined yet but, in fact, it is a crucial factor to be examined and evaluated before somebody labels our nation as suffering with ‘leave Pakistan syndrome’.

DR MUKHTAR ALI Kurram Agency