When many young Pakistanis leave for higher education abroad, it is with hazy, university brochure-driven expectations in their heads and a one-way ticket in their hands.  The bigger picture echoes this trend.  Pakistan, after China and India, is the third highest source country for new migrants to Canada.  Pakistani immigrants to the US numbered 13,094 in 1998.  A vast reservoir of skills and resources is steadily being leached out of the country.

            However, there are some young Pakistanis who, often against the advice of their peers, have dared to be different.  Spurning lucrative employment opportunities in the west, they have collected their prestigious degrees, packed up their graduation robes and chosen to return home.  Newsline spoke to six of these committed young people who opted to pursue their careers in Pakistan – and, hopefully, make a difference