Four recent developments explain the credibility - or the absence of it - of Pakistan's self-centred, visionless rulers and the inability of the archaic, rent-seeking bureaucracy. Both remain anchored in a mindset that has resulted in squandered opportunities. These developments also highlight the contradictions and gaps between words and actions, ideals and practice. There is little doubt that the country is facing an acute crisis of credibility and integrity. Every delay in critically important plans, every constitutional or moral violation and every defiance of Supreme Court orders makes this crisis more serious.

Firstly, the selection of Azad Kashmir's Prime Minister on a technocrat seat is nothing but a brazen affront to the people at large. Voters had rejected Iftikhar Gillani in the general election, but Nawaz Sharif - on the face of it - dumped his long-time associate Shah Ghulam Qadir, only to undermine his own slogan: "Honour the vote." Why would the voter - betrayed in February 2024 - trust him or the system anymore?

Secondly, on August 30, the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) recommended reducing the estimated cost of the "Construction of Water Supply Scheme to Gwadar Town from Mirani Dam under Balochistan Socio-Economic Development Projects Phase-III" by around 20 per cent, to Rs23.82 billion, against the Rs29........

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