Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has voiced strong concerns over a widespread “bureaucratic exodus” from the nation, questioning whether senior civil servants view Pakistan as merely a temporary stop before settling overseas.
In a series of statements posted on social media platform X, Asif highlighted that numerous high-ranking officers deliberately planned their relocation to nations such as Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Portugal while still serving in official government roles.
The minister’s revelations come at a time of rising political uncertainty in Islamabad, where the Shehbaz Sharif-led civilian administration is increasingly seen as operating under the shadow of Army Chief General Asim Munir’s expanding authority.
Without naming specific individuals, Asif alleged that several former officials accumulated vast wealth through legitimate and illegitimate means before securing foreign permanent residencies.
He further revealed that an intermediary who collected substantial sums from officers to facilitate residency paperwork in Portugal recently absconded, raising severe questions regarding transparency and loyalty within the state apparatus.
