MARYAM Nawaz has already shown a willingness to take tough and sometimes unpopular decisions.

From strict traffic enforcement to administrative discipline, her government has made it clear that disorder will no longer be tolerated in Punjab. Yet the hardest reform still lies ahead. It is not on the roads but inside institutions where authority is exercised without fear. Confronting corruption within the police, judiciary and other enforcement bodies will test not only policy strength but political courage, because this battle is not against the public but against entrenched interests within the system.

Pakistan’s standing on global corruption indexes reflects a reality that citizens encounter daily. Corruption has ceased to be an exception and has become routine. A traffic stop, a visit to a police station or a file moving through a government office often carries an unspoken price. This normalization is more damaging than corruption itself because it removes shame and replaces it with expectation.

The greatest........

© Pakistan Observer