Pakistan’s ruling elite is allegedly securing overseas escape routes as millions struggle with poverty, hunger and economic uncertainty….reports Asian Lite News Desk
Pakistan’s ruling elite is preparing to secure its escape abroad while millions of ordinary citizens struggle with poverty, hunger and worsening economic conditions, according to a report by the Centre for Peace Studies.
The report highlights a deepening national crisis driven by corruption, military dominance and political mismanagement, alleging that powerful political and military figures are accumulating wealth while preparing for life overseas. Meanwhile, ordinary Pakistanis are facing mounting financial pressures and diminishing prospects.
“Beneath this growing exodus lies a deeper crisis of corruption, military dominance, and political misrule that has weakened state institutions, diverted national resources, and pushed Pakistan closer to a breaking point,” wrote Imran Khurshid, an Associate Research Fellow at the Centre for Peace Studies.
Official government figures presented to Pakistan’s National Assembly showed that more than 317,000 Pakistanis left the country for overseas employment during the first half of 2026 alone. More than 1.87 million citizens migrated between 2024 and 2026, according to the report.
The report also raised concerns over the growing number of government officials holding foreign citizenship and allegedly concealing overseas assets. Federal audits reported on October 5 revealed that more than 2,500 serving federal officers had obtained dual nationality, while hundreds of senior bureaucrats were accused of concealing their foreign assets.
Portugal has emerged as a preferred destination for wealthy members of the Pakistani elite through residency-by-investment schemes, the report noted.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had previously raised questions about the loyalty of government officials acquiring foreign citizenship while serving the country.
“They [bureaucrats] prepared for this while they were employed by the Government of Pakistan, doing so under a deliberate plan. This raises questions about their commitment to their homeland and their jobs during their tenure,” Asif stated.
The report also criticised the Senate’s decision to pass the Passports (Amendment) Bill, 2026, on October 19, granting retired parliamentarians and senators the permanent right to retain complimentary official blue passports for life.
Military accused of exploiting national resources
Khurshid further alleged that Pakistan’s military wields substantial economic and political influence, describing its business operations as resembling those of a real estate company.
“Then comes their boss—the military—which actually runs the country. The military makes enormous amounts of money by running Pakistan like a real estate company,” he stated.
According to the report, the military under General Asim Munir is aggressively pursuing the extraction of rare-earth minerals and critical metals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa through the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) and the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO).
The report alleged that the rapid exploitation of these resources was allowing the military to capture most of the financial benefits, while local communities were left dealing with environmental damage and health problems.
“This rapid resource exploitation allows the military to embezzle most of the profits, leaving the local population with nothing but environmental destruction, disease, and only a small fraction of the wealth,” it stated.
The report also accused Pakistan’s ruling establishment of repeatedly shifting the burden of International Monetary Fund (IMF) conditions onto ordinary citizens while powerful figures continued to enjoy significant privileges.
It cited the acquisition of a Gulfstream G500 private jet, valued at between $38 million and $42 million, by the government of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif as an example of the disparity.
The allegations come amid widespread poverty and food insecurity across the country. According to the UNDP 2026 Global Multidimensional Poverty Index, nearly 100 million Pakistanis are living in acute multidimensional poverty, while up to 7.5 million rural residents are experiencing acute hunger, the report said.
Caption : LAHORE, Aug. 8, 2015 (Xinhua) — A Pakistani boy wears a mask painted with national flag color for the upcoming independence day celebration at a roadside stall in Lahore, east Pakistan, Aug. 8, 2015. Pakistan will celebrate its 69th anniversary of independence on Aug. 14. (Xinhua/Jamil Ahmed/IANS)
Political unrest and rising security concerns
Pakistan’s political and security situation has also come under scrutiny, with the report pointing to the imprisonment of former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan, alongside growing unrest across several regions.
“The army has kept the country’s most popular leader, Imran Khan, locked away in Adiala Jail, while violent insurgencies and rebellions tear across Pakistan—spanning from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) to Balochistan and Sindh,” Khurshid wrote.
The report further noted that Pakistan topped the Global Terrorism Index 2026 for the first time, becoming the country most affected by terrorism worldwide.
Concluding its assessment, the report warned that the widening divide between the country’s ruling elite and ordinary citizens could further undermine Pakistan’s stability.
“A country cannot sustain itself indefinitely when its elite accumulates the means to escape while its citizens are denied the means to live with dignity,” it stated.
