Every few years, a new report lands on Pakistan’s doorstep, promising reform and renewal. Yet, how many times have we let them slip away without real action?

The IMF’s latest governance and corruption diagnostic feels different. It doesn’t accuse anyone. It simply holds up a mirror that shows a clear and honest reflection of where we stand.

One figure in the report immediately stands out, that more than five trillion rupees was recovered in less than two years.

Even this, experts say, represents only part of the actual picture. Yet instead of focusing on what this number tells us, we often slip back into the same old argument about whether the findings are accurate or whether the methodology is fair. It’s a pattern we’ve seen many times before. A portion of the influential class challenges the report, and we end up debating the report itself instead of the reforms it urges us to consider. While these debates continue, the underlying problems stay exactly where they are.

The truth is that the report does not reveal anything that ordinary Pakistanis haven’t already experienced firsthand. We know how the system has evolved, but not for the........

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