The promise of turning around Pakistan’s destiny has been boldly made under regime after regime, without much success. It was therefore hardly surprising that this sorry history repeated itself when Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif – the latest in a long lineup of leaders – made that claim upon taking charge.

Put another way, promising the so-far-undelivered has been a repeated pattern in Pakistan’s unfortunate journey. Within this history, notably tragic for the country’s mainstream population, Pakistan’s leaders have taken their fellow citizens for granted.

For instance, in tandem with the country’s worsening healthcare systems to cite a glaring example, prominent leaders have repeatedly opted for overseas medical care for themselves and their family members. Ironically, their commitment to decisively lift Pakistan’s healthcare facilities has received little more than lip service.

The same pattern has repeated itself in the areas of education and rule of law – the two things at the heart of essential basics but only for those with mighty clout. Eventually, Pakistan has been divided among those with access to these fundamental rights as opposed to those without similar access.

In this background, the pursuit of success to make Pakistan a viable country is fundamentally tied to turning........

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