COUNTRIES do not fail suddenly, the decline occurs very slowly.

When lawmakers, citizens and oversight bodies start accepting mediocracy, rather than demanding excellence — a new normal is established. When enough of these compromises are accepted by everyone as the standard, when systems stop evolving while the world continues to transform, an irreversible decline is the inevitable result. This realization stayed with me throughout my experience at the National Security Workshop (NSW) at the National Defence University. Nations rarely fail from a lack of talent or potential; they fail when they resist change.

Pakistan today stands at a defining moment. Economies across the world are being rebuilt on digital capability, artificial intelligence and real-time data. Competitiveness is no longer determined by natural resources but by efficiency, transparency and technological readiness. Yet many of Pakistan’s institutions still operate through outdated, paper-based systems that no longer match the speed........

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