In a bustling Karachi tea stall, chatter turns sour. “Hukoomat kyun itni bari hai?” a mechanic grumbles, eyeing news of the PML-N’s 50-plus-member cabinet—ministers, advisers, aides—feasting on perks while he skips meals to pay bills. Pakistan’s governance, meant to steer the nation, feels like a runaway train: bloated, costly, and off-track. Bureaucratic red tape and whispers of corruption stall projects, from Punjab’s roads to CPEC’s railways, leaving the awam stranded. The Shehbaz Sharif-led government touts progress, but why are we stuck in badnazmi ka chakkar? Frugal leadership, clean audits, and faster projects aren’t luxuries—they’re what Pakistan deserves.
The scale of excess is glaring. The federal cabinet, sworn in March 2024, balloons to over 50 members—18 ministers, 7 ministers of state, 30-plus advisers and assistants—costing Rs1.2 billion yearly in salaries and perks alone, per budget estimates. Add security, travel, and protocol, and it’s a Rs3 billion drain, while austerity demands squeeze the awam—petrol at Rs260, flour at Rs120 a kilo. Bureaucracy’s worse: 1.2 million federal employees, layered in hierarchy, clog decisions. A Lahore hospital project, greenlit in 2022, awaits 14 approvals, per Dawn. Corruption festers—Rs400 billion in “irregularities” flagged by the Auditor General in 2023-24, yet probes crawl. Trust erodes when ministers multiply, files pile, and funds vanish.
Development pays the price. In Punjab, the PML-N’s heartland, projects limp. The Rawalpindi Ring Road, budgeted at Rs23 billion, stalls over land disputes, missing its 2024 deadline, per The News. CPEC, Pakistan’s economic lifeline, sputters—only 17 of 330 projects finished by 2024, per CPEC Secretariat. The $6.8 billion ML-1 railway, meant to link Karachi to Peshawar, hasn’t laid a track since 2018, bogged by bureaucratic delays. Gwadar Port, CPEC’s jewel, operates at 30% capacity—red tape and power shortages choke its docks. The awam see bridges unbuilt, trains unmoved, and promises unkept, fueling cries of dhandli aur na-ahli.
The PML-N’s defense—a “coalition needs seats”—rings hollow. A cabinet this size isn’t unity; it’s bloat. In 2024, coalition partners like PPP took 8 ministries, JUI-F grabbed 3, yet decisions lag—energy reforms took 6 months for a nod. Bureaucrats, fearing accountability, shuffle papers endlessly; a Quetta SME owner waits 90 days for a loan clearance. Corruption’s shadow looms—Transparency International ranks Pakistan 133rd globally, unchanged since 2022. Kickbacks in contracts, ghost workers in payrolls, and untraced funds mock the awam’s taxes. Governance isn’t a game of musical chairs—it’s a duty to deliver, not delay.
This isn’t just mismanagement—it’s a moral failing. The awam toil—drivers, nurses, vendors—yet their sweat funds lavish convoys, not schools. It’s wrong to parade austerity while ministers claim Rs500,000 monthly perks, per Express Tribune. It’s unjust when a Multan farmer sees roads promised in 2023 still dirt, or a Gwadar fisherman nets nothing while port deals stall. The PML-N, forged in public service, should honor this trust—not with tamasha but transparency. Every stalled bridge or padded contract betrays a nation craving progress, not patronage.
Here’s a question to ignite X (share it!): “Why 50 ministers when projects rot and pockets burn?” Solutions demand spine, not speeches. First, slash the cabinet to 25—core portfolios like finance, health, energy. India runs 1.4 billion with 30 ministers; Pakistan’s 240 million don’t need double. Cap advisers at 10, halve perks, save Rs2 billion yearly—enough for 5,000 classrooms, per UNDP. Merge overlapping ministries—commerce and trade, IT and telecom—to cut 20% of red tape. A lean team, like Singapore’s 20-member cabinet, bats sharper, not slower.
Second, root out corruption—it’s a moral must. Launch an independent audit board, led by retired judges and PILDAT experts, to probe Rs400 billion in 2023-24 irregularities. Digitize contracts on a “CleanGov” portal—tenders, bids, progress—open to all, like Ukraine’s ProZorro. Jail 100 top offenders yearly—clerks or cronies—via fast-track courts, deterring rishwat ka jadu. Recover Rs100 billion in five years, fund hospitals, not hideouts. Transparency isn’t risk—it’s redemption, proving taxes build bridges, not bank accounts.
Third, unclog stalled projects—now. Assign 50 Punjab schemes, like Ring Road, to a task force under the PM, with 90-day deadlines. For CPEC, revive ML-1 with a $2 billion Chinese loan, signed by June 2025, per CPEC updates. Clear Gwadar’s 12 pending permits in 60 days—power, water, roads—via a single-window desk. Track progress weekly on a “BuildFast” app—miles paved, tracks laid—modeled on India’s PRAGATI. Speed isn’t showboating—it’s justice for a Peshawar driver or Sialkot worker waiting for jobs those projects promise.
This isn’t despair—it’s defiance, born of Pakistan’s grit. We’ve climbed from 1947’s ashes to nuclear might—governance can rise too. Imagine a nation where cabinets fit one bus, not three; where files clear in days, not years; where bridges open on time. The PML-N can steer this, but only if they ditch safarish ka tamasha for results—lean teams, clean books, fast builds. The awam don’t want pomp—they want a train that runs right.
Pakistan’s at a crease—deliver or derail? The government must choose: governance that lifts or lethargy that sinks. That’s what readers—mechanics, clerks, mothers, students—demand to know. Not in pledges, but in systems they can trust.
