Moving back is one of the hardest decisions that a person and his family make.

I voluntarily moved back to Pakistan 6 months ago after spending over two decades in the U.S. Since I left behind a senior position at a globally known company and said goodbye to a very comfortable suburban lifestyle, my move back invoked questions from people I came in contact with in Pakistan and in America.

Sameer Sidiqui 

Although in India and China, it has recently become more of a natural phenomenon among expats to return to their place of birth, it is still considered an anomaly for people to migrate to Pakistan. The reason why no-one bats an eyelid anymore when individuals forsake their high-profile jobs in U.S. to return to India or China speaks volumes about the positive potential associated with those countries, as the move is considered to have minimal risks and major rewards.

On the other hand, the incredulous looks that meet the poor soul returning to neighbouring Pakistan, in turn, translate the lack of confidence in this country’s ability to pay back its returning sons and daughters, the risks associated with the move being high and the rewards being elusive.

Some returnees are pressed into coming back to take care of pending family matters, others return to provide a more conducive environment for their children; students are forced to return because after 9/11 job opportunities in U.S. are scarce, still others are pressured otherwise.

But those of us who are not ‘forced’ to return do so for the same reasons that motivate our brethren in India and China: we want to take advantage of the  The incredulous looks that meet the poor soul returning to neighbouring Pakistan, in turn, translate the lack of confidence in this country’s ability to pay back its returning sons and daughters 
 
 
 
 
emerging market economy that is in its nascent form in these countries. We want to have a small role in the revolution that is bettering the lives of our countrymen. But our designs are not purely altruistic; we come back for personal reasons as well, to live close to our family, to enjoy a comfortable lifestyle replete with domestic help and to introduce our children to values that we feel they are missing abroad.

But to trade a life in the developed world where life is comfortably predictable with a somewhat unsecure lifestyle is not an easy choice by any means. Plus we give up a settled life to start life all over. For those of us who have spent decades abroad, it is the will to live amongst family and friends we left behind, a chance to be surrounded by a culture that one grew up in, that ultimately makes us return.

After one has fought with everyone and taken the bold step to come back, it takes three things to make the transition easier and the stay more permanent. These are, not in any particular order: a great job, a very positive attitude, and — if you are married man with children — supporting spouse and kids.

Without a wife who is willing to go against her natural womanly instinct of nesting, to leave a stable household in one place and to start a new one in unfamiliar surroundings, the migration is pretty much a non-starter. And, even if you are able to somehow get her to come with you, unless she is willing to provide continuous support, more than likely your family will be among the many who return back to western shores within a few short months of arrival in Pakistan.

If your adult life has been spent away from the Pakistani workforce like mine then another crucial factor is the job that awaits you upon your arrival. Without a doubt, your new job must offer you new heights to scale; it should be able to enrich you professionally and help you grow in your field in ways that were not possible before. An exciting job in a dull environment is also bound to suffocate. Therefore, the colleagues that surround you and the work environment that greets you every morning must provide for a healthy and nurturing framework.

The reversal of brain-drain in South-Asia is triggered partly because professionals aspire to get salaries in their home countries that can allow their families to achieve the same standard of living that was possible in U.S. and elsewhere. Being able to return back to your home country and to provide your children closeness with their extended family and familiarity with their roots is considered a huge advantage over the day-to-day nuisances of a third-world country that await the returning family.

Without a contagious positive attitude to overcome daily issues, the migration can have a very short shelf-life. Everyone moving back has previously encountered and endured, for a short duration lasting their vacation period, numerous problems that are normally ignored by 
 
      
Having to uproot and start all over is tough, period! 
 
 
 
 
locals as things taken for granted. However, a permanent move back puts a new light on the extended extremely hot climate with inadequate central temperature control, loadsheding even on the hottest of days, traffic flow that defies any pattern in the civilized world, unhelpful public and private institutes, prevalent VVIP culture that has a way of encroaching on public life, and many other such problems.

Therefore, as soon as possible, it is imperative to learn the ways of the locals — grow a thick skin and acquire selective vision and hearing, ignore the negatives and focus on the positives. In Ayn Rand’s famous novel, The Fountainhead, the main character is someone who is consumed by his work. The villain, after having caused innumerable problems for the hero, in the end asks what the hero thinks of him since he has caused him so much grief. “But I don’t think of you,” is the hero’s simple reply. We cannot all be heroes, but we can adopt the mindset in which we do not let things get to us over which we have little to no control.

In summary, moving back is one of the hardest decisions that a person and his family make. It takes a reckless disregard for the norm and the guts to replace status quo with chaos, even if it is for a short time. Having to uproot and start all over is tough, period! However, if the initial pains are sustained, it can be a rewarding experience. Fortune favours the brave:-)