More than a year before the 2027 Hajj season, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif summoned his Religious Affairs Minister to personally review preparations for one of governance's most sacred obligations — ensuring that millions of Pakistani pilgrims can undertake their journey to Mecca with dignity and safety. The directive was both a signal of political priority and a reminder that the state's competence is measured, in part, by how faithfully it serves those who seek the divine. By intervening early and setting an unambiguous standard, Sharif placed the weight of accountability on ever