CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF ILLEGAL EMIGRATION: A CASE STUDY OF DISTRICT SWAT, PAKISTAN

Illegal emigration is one of the major concerns for many countries, particularly for the developed world. Numerous studies pertaining to the issue have been conducted across the globe; however, in Pakistan researchers are less inclined to explore the subject through the qualitative angle. This qualitative study tends to find out the causes and consequences of illegal emigration in Pakistan. The locale for this study is District Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Data is collected using the semi-structured interviews method. The respondents include successful illegal emigrants, failed illegal emigrants, the family of illegal emigrants, and the graduate students who are selected through different sampling techniques. A total number of 35 respondents were interviewed in this study. The thematic analysis method is used to analyse data taken from the respondents. The findings divulge that there were various reasons such as unemployment, poverty, insecurity, and family reunification, which motivated particular people to choose illegal emigration. The study also discovered the consequences of illegal emigration which encompass food and water shortages, family crises (financial and emotional), lack of job opportunities in the destination country, and issues of asylum. The inclination of people towards illegal migration included the process of illegal migration and the decision of illegal migration. This study covers the causes, consequences, and inclination of people towards illegal emigration. Key Words: Illegal Emigration, Migration, Human Smuggling.