Hello ministers, where are you?

If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

This old thought experiment has a bearing on what we are hearing – or more specifically, not hearing – about the government's performance.

People in the Red Zone are aghast at reading this. "What the heck is he talking about!" I can hear them blurting out in exasperation. The whole world is going gaga over Pakistan, they say. Did this writer not hear US Secretary of War Peter Hegseth praising the Pakistani leadership in Singapore over the weekend? Did he not see US Secretary of State Marco Rubio appear in front of the media with Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and thank him for his country's role in mediating peace between the US and Iran? Is the writer suffering from selective editorial amnesia and conveniently forgets US President Donald Trump's love for praising his favourite Field Marshal. Or has he, in fact, forgotten to read the latest Al Jazeera report that praises Pakistan's foreign policy and national security successes?

I can understand their angst. Having seen and read all this content, I have no disagreement with the fact that Pakistan has indeed done wonders. If the peace deal does come through – the world awaits Trump's verdict – Pakistan would have actually pulled off Mission Impossible 9. So, more power to us.

And yet…

There's this small issue of Back Home. Here, like the proverbial tree falling silently in the forest, what the government is doing, or not doing, is making no sound. Silence. The deafening kind. I have actually forgotten the names of various ministers, advisers and special assistants. I have also forgotten why they sit in the federal cabinet.

Ask anyone outside the Red Zone what the government is doing other than racking up foreign policy achievements, and you will be answered with a shrug. Citizens, it appears, are resigned to high fuel prices, growing inflation, and no fundamental change in their lives other than better infrastructure (I shall grant the Punjab government this). But what has the federal government actually done that merits accolades? Which reforms stand tall as a testament to the government's self-proclaimed revolutionary governance?

In fact, allow me to be specific.

Since I personally know the gentlemen I'm referring to, and respect their capabilities and credentials, I will take the liberty to ask them directly.

Mohammad Aurangzeb sahib, what has the Finance Ministry done so far other than satisfy the IMF requirements? If that in itself is considered an achievement, then sir, you are punching far below your weight. The IMF has indeed patted your back in the last report, but it has also in no uncertain terms spelt out where we are falling short. Ah, yes of course, you're making the Budget. That's what your entire team has been doing the last few months. But seriously, is that an achievement? You are probably the most credentialed finance minister we have had in a very long time. So, what do you have to show for that? And if you and your ministry have in fact done wonders, why does no one seem to know about it?

Jam Kamal sahib, what has the Commerce Ministry done to drive export-led growth? You have served as a successful chief minister of Baluchistan but with your transition to the federal government, you seem to have disappeared into the folds of your ministry. No one has a clue what you or your team have been up to all these years. Trade enhancement? Export increase? Trade fairs? The Commerce Ministry should have a high profile. It is the opposite right now. This business-as-usual performance does not suit someone with your background. Either the Commerce Ministry is, as usual, paper-pushing, or it is failing spectacularly to communicate its performance.

Azam Nazir Tarar sahib, what has the Law Ministry done other than Bar politics (drafting constitutional amendments does not count as an achievement). You have been occupying this ministry for years now and constantly talking about legal reforms. Well, show us. But first, show yourself. You too seem to have disappeared in a self-created legal maze (drafting another amendment?). With someone of your background and stature within Pakistan's legal circles, I would have imagined you legislating reforms that would have dramatic impact on the lives of citizens crushed within the slow-moving wheels of the legal-judicial system. Either you are too busy sorting out 'errant' judges, or you are oblivious to the fact that no one knows what you or your ministry have done to count as good performance.

Ahsan Iqbal sahib, where art thou? We see you in silent TV footage sitting with the Prime Minister in his China visit, but do you know that no one really knows what the Planning Commission has done to classify as success, even of the moderate kind? No sir, the number of meetings does not count as a barometer of performance, regardless of what your secretaries and additional secretaries may tell you. You have been in this role long enough to know that what matters is not how many projects you have approved or how many funds you have released, but what differences all these have made in the lives of Pakistanis. Have you made a difference? If so, then why this silence? Why does nobody know?

Musadik Malik sahib, I have no idea what the Climate Ministry is doing. Neither does anyone I know. You should be seen everywhere plugging Pakistan's case as one of the world's most climate-vulnerable countries. But a wall of silence separates your ministry from the rest of Pakistan. Why?

Mustafa Kamal sahib, you showed as mayor of Karachi that you are indeed someone who can smash the status quo and get things done. And done well. Where is that Mustafa Kamal? The Health Ministry can really shake up things and get noticed for making a difference where it really matters. So why this apathy? Has the federal bureaucracy dampened your zest? If you are indeed shaking things up – like we all expected you to – then I'm sorry your people are hiding it really well from the Pakistani people.

So, who we see working hard. I can name three: Energy and Power ministers Ali Pervaiz Malik and Awais Khan Leghari. I know IT minister Shaza Khawaja is also getting things moving. More power to them. But three out of so many is not good enough. In fact, it's not even passing grade. The federal government needs to get its act together.