ONE does not have to be a jaundiced cynic to reach the unfortunate conclusion that two factors — the unchecked daily arrival of 19,000 newborns and a colonial, reform-resistant, bloated bureaucracy — appear all set to seal the fate of Pakistan. The government tackles the first crisis through symbolic optics such as having the military chief on the Population Committee — while leaving the core reforms unaddressed. The crisis of the disinterested and dysfunctional bureaucracy is managed by archaic appeasement tools, such as raising salaries, allowances, perks and bonuses. Ours might be the unique country that diverts the resources meant for its people towards the luxuries of a non-performing parasitic elite. This has created a grotesque divide — a privileged few travel in Fortuners and Gulfstreams, while thousands are condemned to descend and die in poisonous raw sewage-filled gutters.

Amid these existential threats, dismantling our obsolete bureaucracy is not an option. This article is about using a rigorous PDDI (process, digitise, dismantle, improve) cycle that could radically transform and uplift Pakistan. The following text demonstrates how a lean task force of roughly a dozen committed........

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