‘Rats Deserting A Sinking Ship’: Ex-Indian Intelligence Official Questions Pak Officials’ Push To Settle Abroad

Former Indian intelligence official and Pakistan expert Tilak Devasher has questioned whether Pakistan’s senior bureaucrats are losing confidence in their country’s future after Defence Minister Khawaja Asif alleged that a significant number of government officers had planned to settle abroad while still in service. Devasher said the reported preparations for relocation raised questions about the commitment of officials entrusted with running the country.

Reacting to Asif’s remarks, Devasher questioned whether bureaucrats’ alleged plans to move overseas reflected a deeper loss of faith in Pakistan. He drew attention to the minister’s reference to a “significant number” of officials preparing to relocate while still serving the government, and singled out Portugal as a destination reportedly favoured by some.

Asif Questions Officials’ Commitment

Asif raised the issue in a post on X on October 18, saying that while Pakistan’s bureaucracy included capable and honest officers, many officials had established permanent homes in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and other European countries. He alleged that some had planned their relocation while continuing to hold government positions.

The defence minister also claimed that Portugal had become a preferred destination for officials seeking to settle abroad. He alleged that an intermediary who arranged permanent-residency applications for influential bureaucrats had disappeared after collecting substantial sums of money. Asif did not publicly identify the officials or the alleged intermediary in the statement reported by Pakistani media.

Asif questioned whether officials who had held senior positions and benefited from government privileges remained committed to Pakistan or viewed public service as a temporary stage before moving overseas. His claims have renewed scrutiny of foreign residency plans and the overseas interests of members of the country’s governing establishment.

Allegations Remain Unverified

The allegations have not, however, been independently established. Asif’s public statement did not provide names, documentary evidence or a verified estimate of how many serving bureaucrats had arranged to relocate abroad. The reported plans therefore do not, on their own, establish that a large-scale exodus is under way or that officials have engaged in wrongdoing.

The controversy also revives questions Asif raised in 2025, when he alleged that more than half of Pakistan’s bureaucracy had bought property in Portugal and was preparing to seek citizenship there. Those claims, too, require independent verification and should not be treated as proof of misconduct by individual officials.

Pakistan’s existing rules require government servants to declare their assets annually, while provisions under the Civil Servants Act cover the disclosure of domestic and foreign assets by officers in grade BS-17 and above. The rules provide a framework for scrutiny, but determining whether any official violated them would require examination of individual records and evidence.