Dawn Images

This weekend brought another tragedy to the top of the news cycle after 20-year-old Laiba Aijaz ended her life in Islamabad on Friday after her family was defrauded of millions of rupees by someone who promised to get her admitted to Harvard University in the United States.

According to a statement from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the accused took Rs550,000 to secure employment for Aijaz’s brother and over Rs7 million for her education. Police say the money came from the family selling land and jewellery.

Hearing the story, Pakistanis online took a moment to think about what has gone wrong in our society. Some said lack of hope results in victims of crime not even imagining getting justice in this country.

Others called for action against scammers and fraudulent admission agents like the one accused of taking Aijaz’s money.

Users brought up how students like Aijaz — whose father was a shopkeeper — faced difficulties navigating the foreign admissions process, especially because they had little to no help from their universities. This, they said, pushed them into the hands of predatory agents and consultants.

One user on Instagram, quoting a story posted by actor Mani asking why young people wanted to leave Pakistan, asked why people would want to stay.

Another on X said the fact that there was nothing to stay for, coupled with the shrinking availability of routes out, created a “market in hope”.

After the case gained national attention, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has taken notice of Aijaz’s death and directed the police to apprehend the accused. Minister of State for Interior and Narcotics Control Tallal Chaudhry reached out to the FIA with similar instructions.