In Persian they say: ‘safar wasila-e-zafar’ (journey is a way to success). In Punjabi Sultan Bahu, a seventeenth century poet and saint, summed up the folk wisdom: ‘Shala musafar koi na theeway, kakh jinha theen bharay hu (may no one be a wayfarer, even the twigs would be weightier than them). These two opposing views actually point to the historical experiences of two different societies. The former (Iran) perhaps traditionally not very resource rich looked outward for material uplift: individuals tuned to traveling and rulers to invading their neighbouring lands in search of material gains. The latter (Punjab/subcontinent) historically resource rich found the alien lands impoverished places which offered nothing but indignity.

But still the fact is undeniable that migration has played and still plays a transformational role that besides other sociocultural irritants creates riches through interaction and exchange of knowledge and skills between the members of different societies. That a society is rich or poor is not something fixed or unchangeable. In a historical process, the rich may become poor and the poor rich as a result of interplay of multiple social forces. The subcontinent was a far richer society than Europe till 17th century in terms of wealth and quality of life. Industrial Revolution put the West firmly in the lead.

The West equipped with newly acquired scientific knowledge and consequent technology gradually but steadily started emerging as a formidable power never seen before in the recorded human history. The progress in scientific knowledge went hand in hand with building of social, political and economic institutions which created modern nation state that had inbuilt tendency to expand vertically and horizontally. Vertical expansion implied building and strengthening of sophisticated and complex institutional networks and horizontal expansion meant going beyond national territories and capturing lands near and far when and where possible, driven by an unstoppable urge to gain monopoly over natural and human resources of other nations anchored in the experience of the old world that were unable to militarily defend themselves.

The machine age had a gargantuan appetite for raw material and cheap labour that led to the all-encompassing process of colonization that lasted for centuries affecting every nook and cranny of our planet. Colonies of the Western nations further enriched their societies as occupation in the guise of ‘civilising mission’ was of extremely extractive nature that facilitated maximum surplus appropriation from the indigenous people. That western society casts a spell on our young people is not without reason. Firstly, they are rich or at least have a modicum of riches. Anybody who becomes their members is likely to lead a reasonably good life. Secondly, over there the civilised societies believe in the rule of law and offer you some opportunity for upward mobility. Thirdly, open, democratic and liberal societies offer one intellectual, social and political freedoms which are almost non-existent in the developing world.

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It’s no surprise that people from the united Punjab being socially mobile were the first to migrate to Canada and the US in the second half of the 19th century. Since then the trickle of immigrants hasn’t stopped. Rather it has turned into a torrent in recent times in our part of Punjab due to increasing economic pressure and shrinking job market in the utterly mismanaged economy. Desperation of young men in Punjab to leave the country in search of greener pastures is understandable. Leaving one’s family isn’t easy decision to make if one doesn’t have a deep pocket. Lack of deep pockets coupled with absence of opportunities is the main reason that compels the gullible young men to be lured by human traffickers with the promise of better future to take hazardous journey to destinations sought after but alien, with fake travel documents, in some cases with no documents at all.