Sir: Unless the top political leadership is honest and prefers merit, there would be no improvement. Making scapegoats out of the civilian and military bureaucracy, or blaming the elusive establishment, would lead nowhere. The politicians blame the military and bureaucracy for putting spanners in the way of governance efforts. The question is, who appoint these Johnnies? Certainly the political leadership and most of the time these appointments are made without merit. Neither did we see anyone fired for his/her incompetence. I have seen several honest and hardworking bureaucrats in Dadu District sent packing when they refused to follow the destructive path the political leaders from the ruling party wanted them to tread. There are some good politicians as well, but the prevalent political culture promotes those bureaucrats who are notorious for twisting rules and regulations and work as a minting machine for their bosses. Gulsher Panhwer Johi