Migration Governance in Pakistan: Institutional Challenges and Data Gaps

Introduction

Migration has assumed a significant role within contemporary societal frameworks. Statistical assessments suggest that on a global scale, there exist an estimated 281 million individuals classified as international migrants, constituting approximately 3.6 percent of the total global populace (IOM 2022). Consequently, global remittances have increased from US$126 billion to US$702 billion between 2000 and 2020 (IOM 2022). Over the past few decades, the recognition of remittances as a source of foreign exchange in the developing world has spurred economic migration and migration became the centerfold of policy debates.

Pakistan, due to its geo-strategic location, political and macroeconomic instability, has been at the center of international migrant flow—both as a country of emigration and immigration. As such, migrants and migration remain important aspects of Pakistan's socioeconomic reality. With a population of approximately 207.7 million people (PBS 2018), it has seen historical trends of forced as well as voluntary migration within and outside the country due to poverty, conflict, climate change, political and macroeconomic instability, and better employment opportunities. Number of empirical studies have been conducted on Pakistan migration statistics as well as on policy paradigms (e.g., Arif and Irfan 1997; Arif 2008; Gazdar 2003 and 2008; Jan 2010; PILDAT 2008; SDPI 2010). However, the government of Pakistan remains challenged in its efforts to devise a comprehensive migration (emigration) policy, with the draft currently awaiting approval. Recent data indicate that Pakistan has 3.28 million migrants (1.5% of the total population) from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Tajikistan, Syria, Palestine, Sri Lanka, and Uzbekistan (IOM 2022). Furthermore, about 6.3 million Pakistanis live in other countries such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, Europe, Canada, and United States (IOM 2019; UN-DESA 2022). In this context, migration remains an important aspect of policy discussion in Pakistan, with discussions on emigration often overshadowing issues related to immigration (see Table 1). This country report focuses on Pakistan migration governance landscape, data challenges, and their importance in migration governance. This is a first of its kind attempt in Pakistan for understanding migration governance and data issues.

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Table 1.

Key Migration Statistics for Pakistan.

Indicator	Year	Value
Migrant Stock in Pakistan	2020	3.28 million (1.5% of population)
Overseas Pakistanis	2020	6.3 million
Top Countries for Labor Migration	2020	Saudi Arabia (53.2%), UAE (33.8%), Oman (4.5%)
Remittances as percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP)	2020	8.7%

Sources: WB (2022a, 2022b, 2022c), CIMRAD (2020)

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Table 2.

Main Categories of Migrants Coming in or Going Out of Pakistan.

Migrant category	Inflow to Pakistan	Outflow from Pakistan
Regular migrants	Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, India, Myanmar, Palestine, Syria, Tajikistan, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan	Australia, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Canada, Europe, India, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Korea, United Kingdom, Malaysia, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Thailand, United States, UAE
Irregular migrants	India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Somalia	United States, Europe, Oman, Greece, United Kingdom, Japan, Malaysia South Africa, Turkey, South Korea

Pakistan's Migration: A Historical Snapshot

The trend of migration into Pakistan began in the 1880s during the development of canal infrastructure in Punjab. Furthermore, with the Partition in 1947, many Sikh and Hindu families that had previously resided in Pakistan moved back to India and a steady exchange of regular and irregular migrants continued between both countries up to 1971 (See Table 2). During 1971 war about half a million Pakistanis moved to Bangladesh and approximately 200,000 returned and settled in Pakistan (CIMRAD 2020). ¹

Furthermore, since 1947, Pakistani migrants (skilled and unskilled) are residing in the United Kingdom. Pakistani immigrants arrived in the United Kingdom during the 1950s and 1960s primarily as labor migrants, with subsequent inflows during the 1970s facilitated by family reunion visas and labor visa (Ballard 1988; Hatton 2005). The predominant demographic of migrants from Pakistan to UK primarily hailed from the economically disadvantaged Mirpur region of Pakistan (Ballard 2003). Beginning 2001, there has been an increase in irregular migration to Europe. Today, Spain, Italy, France, and Norway have extensive Pakistani diaspora. In Europe, there are about 2.2 million Pakistani migrants including 120,000 in Italy. ² About 40,000 migrants of Pakistani origin (either born in Pakistan and migrated to Norway or their parents born in Pakistan) reside in Norway as of 2019 (Marta 2021; Marta 2013). Moreover, immigration to the United States began in the 1960s. Australian and Canadian immigration has particularly boomed in recent years, and Pakistanis currently form the 6^th largest migrant community in Canada. Historically, the Gulf States have been a major destination for Pakistanis since the discovery of oil in the region in the 1970s. Presently, an overwhelming majority of the Pakistani labor force, exceeding 95 percent, is channeled toward the Middle East, predominantly comprising semiskilled and unskilled labor (CIMRAD 2020).

Research indicates that migration and mobility influence a wide range of socioeconomic, political, social, and technological changes (Qaisrani, Rashid and Samad 2021; Mitra, Bang and Abbas 2021). In this context, addressing policy challenges related to migration requires access to reliable information, including high-quality data ³ for evidence-based policies that can create significant socioeconomic benefits for countries as well as migrants and nonmigrants alike (Jan 2010; Qaisrani, Rashid and Samad 2021; ICMPD 2020).

Despite the importance of migration as national policy issue, no comprehensive assessment has previously been conducted to understand the myriad of national institutions involved in collecting and reporting migration data; a comprehensive, holistic assessment of Pakistan's migration data remains missing. Within this particular context, the primary objective of this country report is as follows: To ascertain the principal actors engaged in the management of data pertaining to migration; To gain insight into the procedures associated with the collection and analysis of migration-related data; To conduct a thorough evaluation of the departmental capabilities concerning data management practices, highlighting notable deficiencies.

Focus and Context

This report centers its attention on international migration, encompassing labor and temporary migrants. Employing a predominantly qualitative research methodology, the present study conducted an extensive data collection process by drawing upon both primary and secondary sources. To establish a contextual foundation regarding migration governance in Pakistan and to identify pertinent stakeholders crucial for the management of migration data in subsequent primary research, policy documents, literature, and articles were meticulously reviewed. This foundational knowledge was further enriched through a multifaceted approach, which included (i) conducting in-depth interviews with senior management personnel, (ii) engaging in key informant interviews with technical leadership, and (iii) facilitating focus group discussions with designated focal individuals within relevant government departments, United Nations (UN) agencies, and academic institutions. These collective efforts were instrumental in achieving a comprehensive comprehension of the intricacies of the migration sector in Pakistan.

It is imperative to underscore that all data collected during this research endeavor was handled with utmost confidentiality, adhering to ethical research standards. Furthermore, data triangulation played an integral role in the evaluation of information, facilitating a rigorous analysis of both interdepartmental and intradepartmental data. In total, this study conducted interviews with 21 representatives hailing from 14 distinct organizations. These organizations encompassed eight governmental institutions, namely the Ministry of Interior (MOI), Ministry of Planning Development and Special Initiatives, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment (BEOE), Chief Commissionerate for Afghan Refugees, and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). Additionally, interviews were conducted with five UN agencies, including United Nations Development Programme, International Organization for Migration (IOM), The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and International Labour Organization (ILO), and one representative from academia, specifically the Lahore School of Economics, renowned for its scholarly engagement with migration-related issues.

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Policy Environment for Migration

Pakistan has ratified the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child as well as a tripartite agreement with the UNHCR and Afghanistan on repatriation of Afghan nationals (IOM, 2019). At the national level, the policy environment on migration remains weak and is directed solely by some pieces of legislation and ad hoc policy measures. In terms of policy environment at the international level, Pakistan is not a signatory to major migration-related commitments such as (i) the 1949 ILO Migration for Employment Convention, (ii) the 1951 Refugee Convention, (iii) the 1967 Refugee Protocol, (iv) the 1975 ILO Migrant Workers Convention, (v) the 1990 UN Migrant Workers Convention, and (vi) the 2000 Palermo Protocol.

Emigration Policy of Pakistan

During the period spanning from 2010 to 2022, three endeavors were made, in the years 2008, 2014, and 2017, to institute a National Emigration Policy, all of which, regrettably, failed to secure the necessary approval (Qaisrani, Rashid and Samad 2021). Reasons for no approval of policy are political instability, changing government priorities, less emphasis on the emigration and welfare of overseas workers, and political will (ICMPD, 2020; Jan 2010 and Qaisrani, Rashid and Samad 2021). The most recent policy document, National Emigration and Welfare Policy for Overseas Pakistanis, has been prepared by the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (MOPHRD) with technical support from the International Centre of Migration Policy Development and is currently pending approval. The lack of endorsement for the Emigration policy targeting overseas Pakistanis may be attributed to its ambitious objectives, which entail substantial resource allocations for policy implementation, alongside considerations regarding the political will and technical capabilities within the relevant government ministries (IMCPD, 2020). ¹⁰ While Pakistan has a positive stance on emigration, with dedicated institutions such as the BEOE in place since 1971, a national policy document has not yet been introduced by the government. Despite the policy vacuum, existing institutional arrangements as well as the legal environment provide sufficient groundwork for promoting labor migration and protecting rights of migrants, notably under the MOPHRD. The Emigration Ordinance, 1979 (updated 2022) ¹¹ and Emigration Rules, 1979 (updated 2021) ¹² provide the necessary legal cover in this regard. Since the 18^th Constitutional Amendment in 2010, which devolved significant powers to the provinces, labor emigration remains a federal subject whereas labor management, skills development, and training are now provincial subjects. ¹³ Such a set-up requires significant coordination and policy coherence between national and provincial governments to benefit from emigration dividends. Further, Pakistan is also signatory to international conventions such as the Colombo Process, ¹⁴ the Abu Dhabi Dialogue, ¹⁵ and the Budapest Process ¹⁶ on labor emigration. Circular migration of return migrants is also common when migrants return home only to find new opportunities abroad. A main limiting factor is the lack of an integrated database of return migrants and of the skillsets they possess. In terms of policy, there was recently a push to include overseas Pakistanis within the scope of the Employees Old Age Benefit Act 1976 (Qaisrani, Rashid and Samad 2021).

Immigration

Four main legislative documents define the sphere of immigration policy in Pakistan: (i) The Naturalization Act of 1926, ¹⁷ (ii) The Foreigners Act of 1946, ¹⁸ (iii) The Pakistan Citizenship Act of 1951, ¹⁹ and (iv) the Pakistan Citizenship Rules of 1952. ²⁰ The Pakistan Citizenship Act of 1951 identifies four categories eligible for citizenship including (i) minors (under 21 years old) of Pakistani nationals, (ii) foreign women married to Pakistani nationals, (iii) persons holding a naturalization certificate under the 1926 Act, and (iv) commonwealth citizens who transfer PKR 5 million in foreign exchange to Pakistan. The country also awards citizenship at birth and based on descent. However, there are no legislative procedures for refugees (Afghanistan), asylum seekers (Myanmar and Somalia), and other stateless persons to attain citizenship, ²¹ and Pakistan is not signatory to relevant international conventions.

Migration Governance: Challenges and Needs Assessment

Despite the importance of migration to the macroeconomic and socioeconomic development of Pakistan, the sector does not receive adequate policy priority. To date, there is no dedicated migration policy, no central coordinating body on migration governance, collection, and dissemination of data, as well as no analytical or advisory work on migration data collection across stakeholders. Government of Pakistan has data on emigrants (even if not extensive), yet the data have not been used to develop specific policy processes on emigration such as promoting supply of skilled labor, transparency around emigration processes, identification of key countries for human resource export based on demand, and engagement with diaspora on encouraging additional emigration. Substantial deficiencies in both infrastructure and capacity persist within governmental departments in the realm of data management. Inadequate intergovernmental coordination has led to a lack of coherence in the rich dataset derived from administrative sources. The absence of dedicated migration surveys or the incorporation of migration modules within existing survey frameworks contributes to the unavailability of comprehensive migration data. This scarcity of data underscores both the relatively low priority accorded to migration within the context of development programming and the formidable challenges associated with gathering such data.

Conclusion and Recommendations

The migration sector faces many challenges with regard to data management including gaps in data collection processes, issues with data quality, and limitations of data analysis, sharing, and coordination as well as migration governance challenges. It is, therefore, recommended that under the MOI, a ‘Migration Data Coordination Group’ needs to be established to streamline collection, aggregation, and corroboration of data. Possible focal point could be from the Migration Management Cell at the MOI. Establishing a Migration Data Coordination Group can help improve communication, transmission, coordination, and sharing of migration statistics and will help breakdown existing silos. In light of the diverse manifestations and motivations behind migration, the establishment of a robust data collection infrastructure is imperative to formulate a comprehensive policy framework. A compelling illustration of this necessity emerges when considering the plight of migrants during climatic and public health crises akin to the Covid-19 pandemic. Moreover, the dissemination of accessible data assumes paramount significance, facilitating enhanced comprehension of evolving societal dynamics and complexities, while also serving as a source of knowledge for both academic inquiry and the formulation of public policy. ²² Furthermore, for better and easy access data collection, storage, and dissemination needs to be completely digitized and automated.