Pakistan, Aug. 13 -- Every year on August 14, Pakistan turns into a sea of green and white. Flags wave from rooftops, children carry miniature flags, patriotic songs fill the air, and social media overflows with messages of pride. It is a day of celebration.

But it should also be a day for reflection.

Seventy-nine years after independence, one of the most important questions we should ask ourselves is not how far Pakistan has travelled, but why, after travelling for so long, we so often find ourselves back at the starting point.

Pakistan has never suffered from a shortage of plans. We have had economic strategies, education policies, health reforms, infrastructure programmes, investment initiatives, and ambitious development targets. G...