This special edition of the Sapan ‘Blog is a collaboration between Sapan and MoUSICi.
By Arshad Mahmud
Economists often point out that if a country wishes to undermine its own long-term economic development, one of the most damaging things it can do is to export its unskilled labour force. While the remittances sent home by workers abroad bring in valuable foreign exchange, the long-term consequences can be far more complex.
When a country loses a significant portion of its working-age population, particularly those who could otherwise contribute to its domestic economy, it can weaken its own productive capacity, slow industrial growth, and create a dependence on remittances rather than sustainable economic development.
The Philippines offers an interesting example. It has one of the largest overseas labour forces in the world and receives enormous amounts of remittances from its citizens working abroad. These remittances are an important source of foreign exchange and provide essential support to millions of families. Yet, despite this substantial inflow of money, the country continues to face serious challenges in achieving broad-based economic development.
Pakistan, too, increasingly finds itself moving in a similar direction, with a large number of its citizens seeking employment abroad.
The late revolutionary poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz approached this question from an entirely different, and perhaps more profound, perspective. He did not look at migration merely through the statistics of foreign exchange, labour markets or economic growth. Instead, he looked at it through the humanistic lens: the pain of separation, the breaking of family bonds, the longing for home, the relationships that are left behind, and, above all, the deep and often unspoken love one carries in one’s heart for one’s homeland.
For Faiz, the departure of a person from his or her homeland is not simply an economic transaction. It is also an emotional and human experience. Behind every worker who leaves in search of a better livelihood is a family that waits, relationships that endure distance, and a heart that remains connected to the soil from which one has come.
Following our recent August Independence celebrations, this is a meaningful time to reflect upon this exquisite poem by Faiz Sahib. Written in Punjabi/Saraiki, the poem brings to the fore precisely this deeply human dimension, the relationship between an individual, his loved ones and his homeland.
It reminds us that a country is not merely an economy measured by GDP, exports and foreign exchange reserves; it is also a place of belonging, memory, affection and shared human bonds.
As we look back at the month of independence, this beautiful poem invites us to reflect not only on the country we inherited, but also on the country we are building, and on what it means when its people are compelled to leave their homeland in search of opportunities elsewhere.
Arshad Mahmud is a music composer, actor, and educator in Karachi, deeply involved in preserving and innovating Southasian classical and contemporary music, and founder of the MoUSICi record label
About the Sapan Blog
The Sapan Blog is a space for reflection, commentary, and conversation by members of the Southasia Peace Action Network community. Here, Sapaners, journalists, peacebuilders, artists, and thinkers share personal essays and perspectives that connect Southasia’s stories, challenges, and triumphs. From culture to climate, sport to solidarity, these blogs go beyond the headlines to bring you the region’s heart and humour.
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