An equally important question is whether political parties actually implement the electoral programmes on which they seek votes. In every election campaign, parties make ambitious promises, but once in power, many of those commitments are diluted, postponed or forgotten. Political competition too often degenerates into abuse, personal attacks and malicious accusations rather than a contest of policies and ideas. The bureaucracy is another neglected chapter in Pakistan’s governance crisis. Since the late 1980s, the politicisation of the civil service has increasingly produced a culture in which some officers are rewarded for loyalty to rulers, while those who insist on constitutionalism, merit and the rule of law may be sidelined.

This is contrary to the spirit of Quaid-i-Azam’s clear message to public servants: their loyalty must be to the state rather than to individuals or political rulers. Political involvement in postings, transfers, promotions and appointments, including appointments at senior contractual levels, has weakened the principle of a politically neutral civil service. A politically dependent bureaucracy cannot provide politically neutral advice, enforce laws impartially or resist unlawful pressure. Once postings, transfers and........

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