lnLroducLlon*

aklsLan has been a federaLlon slnce lndependence parLly as Lhe consLlLuLlonal legacy of
8rlLlsh lndla parLly as Lhe resulL of necesslLy from 1947 Lo 1971 when lL comprlsed Lwo
nonconLlguous LerrlLorlal unlLs and parLly because Lhe provlnces had developed dlsLlncL
eLhnlc and llngulsLlc ldenLlLles of Lhelr own as soverelgn sLaLes 8rlLlsh lndla broughL Lhem
and varlous lesser sLaLes under Lhe lmperlal conLrol mosLly dlrecLly buL also lndlrecLly
1he former emerged as provlnces ln Lhe case of un[ab ln 1849 ln Lhe case of nWl
emerglng ouL of un[ab ln 1901 ln Lhe case of Slndh afLer separaLlon from 8ombay ln
1937 and ln Lhe case of 8alochlsLan ln 1970 when lL graduaLed from a Chlef
Commlsslonerrs provlnce before lLs merger ln Cne unlL ln 1933 Lo a fullyfledged
Covernorrs provlnce 1hose ruled lndlrecLly by Lhe 8rlLlsh can be dlvlded lnLo four
caLegorles 1 rlncely sLaLes of 8ahawalpur ln un[ab khalrpur ln Slndh and kharan
Mekran Lasbela and kalaL ln 8aluchlsLan whlch were asslmllaLed ln Lhelr respecLlve
provlnces soon afLer parLlLlon and SwaL ulr and ChlLral whlch merged lnLo nWl ln
1970 2 lederally AdmlnlsLered 1rlbal Areas (lA1A) and rovlnclally AdmlnlsLered
1rlbal Areas (A1A) alongslde Lhe fronLler wlLh AfghanlsLan 3 Azad !ammu and
kashmlr (A!k) whlch was puL LogeLher as a legaladmlnlsLraLlve enLlLy wlLh lLs own
consLlLuLlon leglslaLure and Supreme CourL pendlng Lhe resoluLlon of Lhe kashmlr
dlspuLe wlLh lndla 4 CllglL8alLlsLan a breakaway reglon of !ammu and kashmlr from
1936 onwards LhaL remalned unrepresenLed ln Lhe leglslaLure of elLher A!k or aklsLan
afLer lndependence
1he presenL sLudy seeks Lo ouLllne Lhe dynamlcs of federallsL pollLlcs ln aklsLan as
successlve consLlLuLlonal arrangemenLs were puL ln place Lo deal wlLh eLhnlc plurallsm
We shall Lrace Lhe chequered hlsLory of cenLreprovlnce relaLlons ln pollLlcal
admlnlsLraLlve and flnanclal flelds of publlc pollcy and dlscuss recenL lnlLlaLlves ln
8alochlsLan and CllglL8alLlsLan Also we shall analyze Lhe 2010 18Lh ConsLlLuLlonal
AmendmenL as a landmark on Lhe rouLe Lo maLuraLlon of federallsm ln Lhe counLry as
well as lLs pollLlcal economlc and [udlclal fallouL

voluLlon of lederallsm
1o analyze Lhe developmenL of federallsm ln aklsLan we need Lo sLudy Lhe colonlal
herlLage as well as Lhe Lwo phases of prefederallzaLlon (194771) and federallzaLlon
(1973) 1he flrsL phase was characLerlzed by cenLrallzaLlon of auLhorlLy and ellmlnaLlon
of Lhe federal sLrucLure wlLhln WesL aklsLan ln Lhe second phase federallsm bounced
back and gradually moved forward ln Lhe face of formldable challenges from Lhe
cenLrallsL framework of sLaLe auLhorlLy
1he colonlal legacy
uevelopmenL of federallsm ln 8rlLlsh lndla Look a quanLum leap forward ln Lhe form of
Lhe 1933 lndla AcL LhaL soughL Lo accommodaLe Lhe dlverse reglonal asplraLlons across Lhe
lndlan subconLlnenL Lhrough provlslons for provlnclal auLonomy 1he Musllm League
hlgh command shunned Lhe LerrlLorlal concepLlon of federallsm because lL dld noL conLrol
Lhe Musllmma[orlLy provlnces un[ab never had a Musllm League governmenL nWl
was ruled by Lhe Congress 8engal and Slndh produced weak coallLlon governmenLs
someLlmes operaLlng ouLslde Lhe command sLrucLure of Lhe Musllm League Powever Lhe
parLy was evenLually obllged Lo accommodaLe Lhe demands of Lhe Musllm ma[orlLy
provlnces lf lL wanLed Lo galn Lhe supporL of Lhe Musllms ln Lhese provlnces 1he 1940
Lahore 8esoluLlon passed by Lhe Musllm League demanded rlndependenL and
auLonomous sLaLes ln Musllm ma[orlLy areasr 1hls resoluLlon was superseded by Lhe
resoluLlon passed by Lhe 1946 Musllm LeglslaLorsr conference LhaL soughL Lo consolldaLe
Lhe areas covered by Lhe former lnLo one formldable enLlLy Powever Lhe Lahore
8esoluLlon has been celebraLed because lL publlcly raLlonallzed Lhe separaLlsL agenda of
Lhe Musllm League lL also underllned Lhe (con) federallsL amblLlons of 8engall Slndhl
8aloch and akhLun naLlonallsLs who lnLerpreLed lL as Lhe foundaLlon of a new soclal
conLracL among provlnces Lo become parL of Lhe new sLaLe (Waseem 1990 31822)
lemenLs from Lhe eLhnonaLlonallsL leadershlp clalm LhaL l) !lnnah envlsloned
confederaLlon for aklsLan ll) Lhe 1933 lndla AcL provlded no role for Lhe CenLre and lll)
auLonomous and lndependenL provlnces enLered lnLo a covenanL Lo esLabllsh Lhe new
federaLlon
6
Powever accordlng Lo malnsLream consLlLuLlonal Lhlnklng Lhe supreme auLhorlLy of Lhe
sLaLe afLer parLlLlon ln 1947 devolved on Lwo domlnlons ln a Lopdown fashlon raLher Lhan
ln a boLLomsup process 1he percelved (con) federal provlslons of Lhe Lahore
8esoluLlon remalned lnacLlve aL Lhe naLlonal level even as lL conLlnued Lo serve as a
Magna CarLa for eLhnonaLlonallsLs of varlous caLegorles 1he facL LhaL Lhe Lwo wlngs
were consldered vulnerable Lo Lhe percelved hosLlle deslgns of lndla pushed Lhe rullng
ellLe Lowards Lhe cenLrallzaLlon of all meanlngful power ln Lhe hands of karachl and laLer
lslamabad 1he cenLre amassed enormous powers under SecLlons 9 (3) 8 (2) 102 and 92
(A) of Lhe 1947 lndependence of lndla AcL (SalamaL 1992 66 68) 1hus aklsLan was
born lnLo an anomalous pollLlcal slLuaLlon LhaL led Lo Lwo conLradlcLory approaches l)
maklng federallsm Lhe only opLlon for a vlable form of governmenL and ll) maklng lL as
LooLhless as posslble

ln search of lnLerwlng parlLy 19471971
aklsLan faced Lhe lssue of an unbalanced federal sLrucLure from Lhe beglnnlng because of
Lhe demographlc preponderance of Lhe provlnce of asL aklsLan wlLh 33 of Lhe
populaLlon 1he rullng ellLe based ln Lhe WesL wlng whlch en[oyed economlc pollLlcal
and admlnlsLraLlve power shunned Lhe grlm prospecLs of renderlng a permanenL ma[orlLy
poslLlon Lo Lhe asL wlng lL pushed Lhe agenda for lnLerwlng parlLy ln Lerms of equal
represenLaLlon ln Lhe parllamenL 1he prlnclple of parlLy underscored Lhe 1932
nazlmuddln 8eporL LhaL provlded for a blcameral parllamenL wlLh 60 and 200 members ln
Lhe upper and lower houses respecLlvely for each wlng LaLer Lhe 1933 Mohammad All
8ogra formula provlded 10 and 163 seaLs for asL aklsLan ln Lhe upper and lower houses
respecLlvely and 40 and 133 seaLs for WesL aklsLan asL aklsLan Lhus had a ma[orlLy ln
Lhe lower house buL noL ln Lhe upper alLhough provlslon was made for a [olnL slLLlng of
Lhe houses ln Lhe case of dlsagreemenL (Adeney 2007 200) 1hls scheme was noL
adopLed 1he un[ab chlef mlnlsLer noon vehemenLly pursued a parallel proposal for a
zonal subfederaLlon for Lhe WesL wlng whlch was however soon shelved
1he merger of Lhe provlnces and LerrlLorles of WesL aklsLan lnLo Cne unlL ln 1933 as a
megaprovlnce Lo achleve parlLy wlLh asL aklsLan served as Lhe basls of Lhe federaLlon
for boLh Lhe 1936 and 1962 ConsLlLuLlons un[ab ln general and CommanderlnChlef
Ceneral Ayub and resldenL Ceneral lskandar Mlrza ln parLlcular champloned Lhe cause
of Cne unlL and sLeamrolled opposlLlon from Slndh nWl and 8alochlsLan (Afzal
1998 227 237243) WesL aklsLan had lLs caplLal aL Lahore ln un[ab ln 1960 Lhe
caplLal of aklsLan moved from karachl Lo lslamabad also slLuaLed ln un[ab 1hese
federallsL arrangemenLs were wldely percelved Lo be a slgn of Lhe un[ablzaLlon of
aklsLan naLlonal lnLegraLlon had osLenslbly been Lhe raLlonale behlnd Lhe adopLlon of
Cne unlL buL lL led Lo flerce backlash ln Lhe form of eLhnonaLlonallsL movemenLs ln
Slndh 8alochlsLan and nWl 1he ersLwhlle provlnces of WesL aklsLan were resLored
ln 1970 when 8alochlsLan was creaLed as a provlnce for Lhe flrsL Llme
rovlnces ln aklsLan unllke ln lndla were noL reorganlzed on Lhe basls of language
AparL from Lhelr core communlLles Lhese provlnces conLalned large eLhnlc mlnorlLles
whlch reLalned provlnclal asplraLlons of Lhelr own eg akhLuns ln 8alochlsLan moha[lrs
(urdu speaklng mlgranLs from lndla) ln Slndh Slralklspeakers ln souLh un[ab and
Plndkospeakers ln Lhe Pazara dlvlslon of nWl 1he rullng ellLe ln aklsLan found
language unaccepLable as a leglLlmaLe source of ldenLlLy ln lndla language was ln and
rellglon was ouL as a consLlLuLlonal caLegory (Adeney 2007 Ch 3) ln aklsLan rellglon
was ln buL language was ouL because of lLs percelved poLenLlal for pollLlcal
desLablllzaLlon (8ahman 1996 249) 1hls dlscounLed Lhe agenda of creaLlng languagebased
provlnces 1he requlremenL for a LwoLhlrd ma[orlLy ln Lhe Lwo houses of
parllamenL Lo creaLe a new provlnce ln addlLlon Lo Lhe consenL ln Lhe assembly of Lhe
provlnces concerned as made Lhe creaLlon of a new provlnce exLremely dlfflculL ln
conLrasL ln lndla a slmple ma[orlLy of Lhe Lok Sabha ls requlred r alLhough Lhe oplnlon of
Lhe sLaLe leglslaLure musL be soughL
1he 21olnL rogram of Lhe unlLed lronL ln asL aklsLan ln 1934 demanded Lhe
esLabllshmenL of Lhe federaLlon on Lhe basls of Lhe Lahore 8esoluLlon ln 1966 Lhe
Awaml Leaguers Slx olnLs rogram agaln soughL Lo radlcally redeflne federallsm by
demandlng adulL franchlse ln a parllamenLary framework Lwo sub[ecLs for Lhe CenLre
le defense and forelgn pollcy along wlLh communlcaLlons Lwo conLroverLlble separaLe
currencles or one currency Lo be handled by Lwo separaLe reserve banks for Lhe Lwo
wlngs power of LaxaLlon for Lhe provlnces rlghL of provlnces Lo handle forelgn exchange
and forelgn Lrade and paramlllLary forces for asL aklsLan ln Lhe absence of an
agreemenL on Lhe quanLum of provlnclal auLonomy beLween Lhe Lwo wlngs and Lhe refusal
of ?ahya khan and Zulflqar All 8huLLo Lo allow Lhe Awaml League Lo form a
governmenL afLer Lhe elecLlons of 1971 Lhe federaLlon vlolenLly collapsed ln 1971
Ma[orlLyconsLralnlng federallsm 1he 1973 ConsLlLuLlon
1he separaLlon of asL aklsLan led Lo a new Lhlnklng abouL federallsm as un[ab now
represenLed Lhe poslLlon of oneprovlncedomlnaLesall aL 38 per cenL of Lhe populaLlon
1he smaller provlnces were commlLLed Lo consLraln Lhe ma[orlLy of one provlnce ln Lhe
parllamenL 1he specLer of oLher eLhnlc communlLles secedlng from whaL was lefL of
aklsLan afLer 8angladesh loomed large on Lhe horlzon 1he ellLes of Slndh nWl and
8alochlsLan pushed for some klnd of ma[orlLyconsLralnlng federallsm rlme MlnlsLer Z
A 8huLLo hlmself from Slndh was able Lo accommodaLe Lhe demands of Lhe provlnces
for a blcameral parllamenL comprlslng a populaLlon chamber (Lhe lower house) and a
LerrlLorlal chamber (Lhe upper house) rovlnclal languages were recognlzed Powever
only Slndh adopLed a provlnclal language r ln 1972 when Slndhl was glven Lhe sLaLus of
offlclal language urdu was by defaulL derecognlzed as a language of Slndh lLs negaLlve
fallouL on moha[lrs led Lo language rloLs followed by decades of eLhnlc sLrlfe beLween Lhe
Lwo communlLles (Adeney 2007 141143)
!usL as Lhe 1936 ConsLlLuLlon was preceded by Lhe Murree Accord beLween Lhe 8engall
and un[abl groups Lhe 1973 ConsLlLuLlon was preceded by Lhe 1972 agreemenL beLween
and An!ul comblne (Mallk 1974 4346) 1he 1973 ConsLlLuLlon provlded for a
naLlonal Assembly where ma[orlLy belonged Lo un[ab and Lhe SenaLe where all Lhe four
provlnces en[oyed equal represenLaLlon aL 19 members each wlLh 8 seaLs for lA1A and 3
for lslamabad 1hls socalled demosconsLralnlng role of Lhe upper chamber has Lhe
poLenLlal of balanclng Lhe ma[orlLy of Lhe lower house (SLepan 1999 2223) Powever
Lhe lmpacL of Lhe enhanced represenLaLlon of smaller provlnces ln Lhe SenaLe has been
offseL by Lhe asymmeLrlcal pollcy scope of Lhe Lwo houses 1he SenaLe has no conLrol
over money bllls 1he naLlonal budgeL could be senL for assenL of Lhe resldenL afLer
passage Lhrough naLlonal Assembly even bypasslng Lhe oLher house 1he 2003 17Lh
AmendmenL based on Musharrafrs 2002 Legal lramework Crder lncreased Lhe
membershlp of Lhe naLlonal Assembly Lo 342 lncludlng 272 dlrecLly elecLed members
60 reserved seaLs for women and 10 mlnorlLy seaLs and expanded Lhe slze of Lhe SenaLe
Lo 100 wlLh 22 seaLs for each provlnce 8 seaLs for lA1A and 4 seaLs for lslamabad lL
became mandaLory Lo presenL Lhe money bllls Lo Lhe SenaLe lf noL Lo geL lL passed by LhaL
house
1he elecLoraLe for Lhe SenaLe comprlses MAs along wlLh MnAs from lslamabad and
lA1A 8elng lndlrecLly elecLed under 8S1v sysLem SenaLors are Lwlce removed from
Lhe publlc and Lhus have a low represenLaLlve characLer Cver Llme Lhe elecLlon of Lhe
SenaLe for 6 years wlLh half of Lhe house elecLed every 3 years has become vlrLual
rselecLlonr by Lhe pollLlcal parLles Lhrough nomlnaLlon of Lhelr candldaLes 1he provlslon
of elecLlon for Lhe 8 SenaLors of lA1A by 12 MnAs ls consldered farclcal Slnce
elecLlons for Lhe Lwo houses were held aL dlfferenL Llmes lL was noL uncommon Lo see Lhe
ma[orlLy parLy ln Lhe naLlonal Assembly Lo have a mlnorlLy represenLaLlon ln Lhe SenaLe
1hls frequenLly happened ln Lhe 1990s AfLer Lhe 2008 elecLlons Lhe and lLs allles
managed Lo geL a bare ma[orlLy ln Lhe SenaLe only afLer elecLlons for half of Lhe house ln
2009 SomeLlmes Lhls slLuaLlon blocked leglslaLlon from movlng beyond one house 1hls
happened ln Lhe case of Lhe 1991 SharlaL 8lll (Lhe aborLed 13Lh AmendmenL) uurlng Lhe
perlod of dlarchy (19831999) Lhe 8Lh AmendmenL gave Lhe resldenL power Lo dlssolve
Lhe naLlonal Assembly and Lhus dlsmlss Lhe federal governmenL Successlve presldenLs
ZlaulPuq Chulam lshaq khan and larooq Legharl exerclsed Lhese powers ln 1988 ln
1990 and 1993 and ln 1996 respecLlvely 8oLh Chulam lshaq khan and larooq Legharl
were able Lo moblllze Lhe supporL of cerLaln pollLlcal parLles from Lhe smaller provlnces
10
represenLed on Lhe floor of Lhe SenaLe ln order Lo counLer Lhe ma[orlLy ln Lhe naLlonal
Assembly led by elLher 8enazlr 8huLLors or nawaz Sharlfrs MLn Whlle Lhe
rlme MlnlsLer drew on Lhe crlLlcal supporL of un[ab ln Lhe lower house Lhe resldenL
relled on Lhe LaclL supporL of smaller provlnces ln Lhe SenaLe ln Lhls way blcamerallsm
became enmeshed wlLh dlarchy represenLlng dlvlslon of powers beLween Lhe Lwo houses
of parllamenL and beLween Lhe head of sLaLe and Lhe chlef execuLlve respecLlvely
(Waseem 2008 213217)
1he federal sLrucLure of Lhe 1973 ConsLlLuLlon exacerbaLed eLhnlc confllcL by creaLlng de
[ure recognlLlon of core llngulsLlc communlLles ldenLlfled wlLh Lhelr respecLlve federaLlng
unlLs 1hus Slndhls un[abls aLhans and Lhe 8aluch goL Lhelr rhomelandsr legally
acknowledged as federaLlng unlLs of aklsLan under Lhelr respecLlve provlnclal
governmenLs Powever such rlegalr elevaLlon of eLhnlc groups represenLlng ma[orlLy
communlLles ln Lhese provlnces such as Slndhls ln Slndh ln Lurn dlsenfranchlsed
mlnorlLy groups such as moha[lrs ln LhaL provlnce ln oLher words Lhe federal pro[ecL
consolldaLed Lhe Slndhl ldenLlLy and wlLhln a decade and half creaLed a moha[lr eLhnlc
ldenLlLy (khan 2010 37 1413) WlLh Lhe lnLroducLlon of a quoLa sysLem along eLhnoreglonal
llnes exLended Lo rural and urban secLors ln Slndh correspondlng Lo Slndhl and
moha[lr communlLles federallzaLlon dlscrlmlnaLed agalnsL merlL and furLher exacerbaLed
eLhnlc consclousness among moha[lrs (Waseem 1999 439)
!urldlcal equallLy of Lhe federaLlng unlLs ln Lhe SenaLe subsLanLlally enhanced Lhe vlslblllLy
and auLhenLlclLy of eLhnlc ma[orlLles ln provlnces 8lcamerallsm lLself ls no guaranLee of
equlLable dlsLrlbuLlon of resources nor ls Lhe equallLy of Lhe federaLlve represenLaLlon
(Llnz 1997 36) lndeed Lhe llkellhood of federallsm Lo lncrease secesslon elsewhere has
been noLed (Adeney 2007 2) nor does federallsm provlde Lhe rouLe Lo democraLlzaLlon
aklsLan remalned a federaLlon under mlllLary rulers lL was Ceneral ?ahya who
dlssolved Cne unlL and resLored Lhe four provlnces of WesL aklsLan LhaL lald Lhe
foundaLlon for Lhe 1973 ConsLlLuLlon lederallzaLlon ls noL democraLlzaLlon (Llnz 1997
34) 1he argumenL of rprefecLorlal federaLlonr ln lndla ls based on Lhe CenLrers power Lo
sLulLlfy provlnclal auLonomy lnLrude lnLo Lhe leglslaLlve domaln of provlnces someLlmes
Lhrough preempLlve acLlon and puL provlnclal leglslaLlon on hold ln cerLaln cases
(8a[ashekara 1997 24348) ln aklsLan Lhe CenLre operaLed ln an even more peneLraLlve
and commandlng way Powever Lhe weakness of Lhe malnsLream federal parLles and
ML vlsvls Lhe army has opened up space for Lhelr coallLlonal parLnershlps wlLh eLhnoreglonal
parLles LhaL made lL posslble Lo slacken Lhe hold of Lhe federaLlon over provlnces
ln recenL years lndlars move Lo coallLlon governmenLs lncludlng reglonal parLles has
resulLed ln a slmllar Lrend
CenLreprovlnce relaLlons
1he federal lssue ln aklsLan ls rooLed ln Lhe perslsLenL crlsls of CenLreprovlnce relaLlons
A proflle of un[ablzaLlon of Lhe sLaLe underscores Lhe demand for provlnclal auLonomy
ln Lhe Lhree smaller provlnces (khan 2001 88489)
ulvlslon of powers
lrom Lhe 1933 lndla AcL onwards Lhe heavy profederaLlon blas ln Lhe dlvlslon of
sub[ecLs has characLerlzed all consLlLuLlonal arrangemenLs 1he llsL of sub[ecLs has shlfLed
from Lhree (federal provlnclal and concurrenL) ln 1933 and 1936 Lo one (federal) ln 1962
Lo Lwo (federal and concurrenL) ln 1973 wlLh resldual powers lylng wlLh Lhe provlnces
(1962 1973) 1he federaLlon peneLraLed deep lnLo Lhe domaln of Lhe concurrenL llsL
rovlnces soughL Lo remove Lhls llsL because Lhe federaLlon would always prevall over
Lhem ln a case of confllcL 1he federal blas comprehenslvely deflned Lhe LaxaLlon
sLrucLure Powever a longLerm Lrend ln favor of provlnclal sub[ecLs has been vlslble
(Ahmed 2007 7178 102) 1he 18Lh AmendmenL of 2010 dlscussed ln more deLall
below empowered provlnces Lo ralse loans aL home and abroad and lssue securlLy
guaranLees on Lhe provlnclal consolldaLed fund ln an lnnovaLlve measure lL provlded for
[olnL and equal ownershlp of Lhe mlneral wealLh found ln a provlnce or lLs ad[acenL waLers
by Lhe federaLlon and Lhe provlnces Also lL gave Lhe sales Lax on servlces (buL noL on
commodlLles) Lo provlnces 1he AmendmenL abollshed Lhe concurrenL llsL ln prlnclple and
Lransferred 40 of lLs 47 sub[ecLs Lo provlnces 1hls ls a ma[or change Lhe lmpllcaLlons of
whlch are dlscussed ln more deLall below
12
1he lnLruslve role of Lhe federaLlon vlsvls provlnces operaLed ln Lhe domaln of
appolnLlng governors hlgh courL [udges and Lhe hlgher bureaucracy ConsLlLuLlonal
federallsm has been effecLlvely counLered by bureaucraLlc cenLrallsm ln 1948 Lhe
clvlllan bureaucracy was cenLrallzed on an allaklsLan basls 1he federal governmenL
conLrolled recrulLmenL Lralnlng posLlng Lransferrlng promoLlng and demoLlng of
offlcers ConLrary Lo Lhe older paLLern of recrulLmenL of clvll servanLs under lCS ln 8rlLlsh
lndla on Lhe basls of provlnclal cadre Lhe clvll bureaucracy ln aklsLan was recrulLed on
Lhe basls of federal cadre 1hls remalned a hoLbed of conLroversy whereby provlnclal
governmenLs felL helpless ln Lhe face of a cenLrallsL bureaucracy LhaL managed Lhe affalrs
of Lhe provlnces of Lhelr posLlng by glvlng prlorlLy Lo Lhe lnLeresLs of Lhe federaLlon
llscal federallsm
llscal federallsm has Laken a few meanlngful sLeps forward ArLlcle 133 of Lhe 1973
ConsLlLuLlon provlded for Lhe Councll of Common lnLeresLs (CCl) Lo Lake care of dlspuLes
beLween Lhe CenLre and a provlnce or beLween provlnces lL ls someLlmes undersLood Lo
be a quaslexecuLlve body because lL comprlses Lhe rlme MlnlsLer and chlef mlnlsLers of
provlnces and Lhelr represenLaLlves CCl ls powerful ln Lheory buL weak ln pracLlce
rocedurally seLLlemenL of dlspuLes ofLen becomes a funcLlon of relaLlons beLween Lhe
Lwo or more parLles lnvolved ln Lhe dlspuLe 1he meeLlngs of CCl are few and far
beLween 1hls makes CCl lneffecLlve as an lnsLlLuLlonal mechanlsm for confllcL
resoluLlon 1he 18Lh AmendmenL provlded for perlodlcal presenLaLlon of Lhe CCl reporL Lo
boLh houses of parllamenL lL exLended Lhe membershlp of CCl by addlng 3 federal
cablneL members made lLs quarLerly meeLlngs mandaLory provlded for a permanenL
secreLarlaL and expanded lLs mandaLe Lo lnclude supervlslon and conLrol over relaLed
lnsLlLuLlons 1hese changes poLenLlally lncrease lLs lmporLance buL lL remalns Lo be seen
how lL wlll operaLe ln pracLlce and wheLher lL wlll become bogged down ln dlspuLes
beLween Lhe cenLre and provlnces
1he revenue ralslng auLhorlLy ls largely ln Lhe hands of Lhe federal governmenL aL around
93 wlLh lLs expendlLure aL 72 whlle provlnces ralse only 7 of Lhe revenue buL
13
spend 28 of lL 1he resource Lransfer paradlgm has been a consLanL source of Lenslon
beLween Lhe federal and provlnclal governmenLs A sysLemaLlc meLhod of Lransfer ls
operaLlve Lhrough Lhe naLlonal llnance Commlsslon (nlC) consLlLuLed under ArLlcle 160
(1) of Lhe ConsLlLuLlon lLs charLer lncludes dlsLrlbuLlng Lax recelpLs lssulng random
Lransfers such as granLs and recommendlng Lhe borrowlng of funds lrom Lhe nlemeyer
Award lssued under Lhe 1933 lndla AcL and Lhe 8alsman formula of 1947 several
Awards have been lssued Lo sLreamllne Lhe share of Lhe dlvlslble pool of Lax recelpLs
essenLlally on Lhe basls of populaLlon Awards lssued under mlllLary governmenLs ln
1961 and 1964 under Ayub ln 1979 and 1983 under Zla and ln 2000 and 2006 under
Musharraf falled Lo develop a consensus beLween provlnces and were Lhus deadlocked
(nlC Award nd 3) 8uL Lhe 1974 Award under Z A 8huLLo and Lhe 1991 and 1996
Awards under nawaz Sharlf were based on consensus 1he laLLer lncreased Lhe share of
provlnces from 28 Lo 43 of Lhe federal Lax revenue Among provlnces un[ab goL
3788 Slndh 2328 nWl 1334 and 8alochlsLan 330 (Ahmed eL al 2007 12
19 8)
ln 2006 afLer nlC falled Lo reach a consensus resldenL Musharraf declared Lhe
provlnclal share aL 43 wlLh 1 lncrease per annum up Lo 30 ln 3 years A ma[or
breakLhrough came ln 2009 when Lhe nlC Award lncreased Lhe provlnclal share of Lhe
dlvlslble pool from 47 Lo 36 for 201011 and Lo 373 for Lhe followlng four years
1he new crlLerla for Lhe Award lncluded populaLlon 82 poverLy 1030 revenue
generaLlon 3 and lnverse populaLlon denslLy 27 1he Award changed Lhe raLlo of
dlsLrlbuLlon of resources Lo provlnces un[ab 3174 Slndh 2433 nWl 1462 and
8alochlsLan 909 (nlC Award nd 4) 8y far Lhls has been Lhe mosL progresslve sLep
ln Lhe dlrecLlon of flscal federallsm lL decreased Lhe share of un[ab almosL doubled Lhe
share of 8alochlsLan and expanded Lhe crlLerla for Lhe nlC Award LaLer Lhe 18Lh
AmendmenL provlded for l) prlor consulLaLlon of Lhe federal governmenL wlLh Lhe
governmenL of a provlnce where a hydroelecLrlc power planL ls Lo be esLabllshed ll) Lhe
provlncesr share Lo be noL less Lhan ln Lhe prevlous Award lll) blannual monlLorlng of
lmplemenLaLlon of Lhe Award by Lhe federal and provlnclal flnance mlnlsLers and lv)
presenLaLlon of Lhelr reporLs Lo Lhe naLlonal and provlnclal assemblles
1he lssue of dlsLrlbuLlon of waLer has ofLen led Lo mlsLrusL beLween provlnces ln 2009
un[ab made a plea Lo Lhe lndus 8lver SysLem AuLhorlLy (l8SA) for runnlng Lhe Chashma
r !ehlum llnk canal because of Lhe rlsk of laylng wasLe 3 mllllon acres ln Lhe coLLon
growlng reglon Powever l8SA kepL Lhe canal dlscharge aL 3000 cusecs agalnsL Lhe
demand for 18000 cusecs arller l8SA had reduced waLer release Lo un[ab from
1aunsaan[nad canal from 14000 cusecs Lo 3000 cusecs AL lLs end Lhe Slndh Assembly
debaLed Lhe lssue LhaL Lhe provlnce goL far less waLer Lhan lL was alloLLed under Lhe 1990
Accord le 48 mllllon acre feeL LhaL had rendered 1 mllllon hecLare land barren lL was
clalmed LhaL un[ab broughL an addlLlonal 33 mllllon hecLare land under culLlvaLlon ln
May 2010 un[ab pulled lLs represenLaLlves from aLLendlng Lhe meeLlngs of l8SA whlch
ln lLs vlew was benL on damaglng Lhe provlnce and Lhe federaLlon lL crlLlclzed l8SA for
lndulglng ln Lhe worsL klnd of flgure fudglng and also for noL releaslng 3000 cusecs of
waLer lnLo Chashma!ehlum Llnk Canal ouL of lLs share and Lhus vlolaLlng Lhe waLer
accord LhaL allowed conLrol over lnLernal dlsLrlbuLlon Lo provlnces Slnce Lhe rlver and
canal waLer remalned Lhe llfellne of Lhe Lwo predomlnanLly agrlculLural provlnces Lhelr
respecLlve pollLlcal leadershlps lnvoked Lhe splrlL of federallsm Lo [usLlfy Lhelr clalms Lo
waLer 1he closely relaLed lssue of bulldlng Lhe kalabagh uam on Lhe 8lver lndus has puL
Lhe federaLlon under greaL pressure Whlle Lhe federal and un[ab governmenLs ofLen
supporLed Lhe pro[ecL Lhe Slndh 8aluchlsLan and nWl Assemblles passed resoluLlons
agalnsL Lhe kalabagh uam ollLlcal parLles have been lnLernally dlvlded along provlnclal
llnes on Lhls lssue
8alochlsLan
ln 2009 Lhe governmenL presenLed a package of reforms for 8alochlsLan 1haL
provlnce had been ln a sLaLe of pollLlcal Lurmoll afLer 2003 A selecLlve mlllLary operaLlon
ln and around Lhe areas of Marrl and 8ugLl Lrlbes led Lo allenaLlon of 8aloch naLlonallsLs
from Lhe federaLlon and sLoked separaLlsL amblLlons among Lhem ln Lhe background of
Lhe 8aloch naLlonallsL sLruggle durlng Lhe slx decades afLer parLlLlon new pressures on Lhe
federaLlon came Lo a head afLer Lhe murder of nawab Akbar 8ugLl ln an ambush ln 2006
(!eLly 2009 213216) 1he parllamenL lnlLlaLed a process of dlalogue wlLh Lhe 8aloch
13
leadershlp ln 2007 1he 8eporL of Lhe SubCommlLLee on rovlnclal AuLonomy ln March
2007 and Lhe 8eporL of Lhe arllamenLary CommlLLee on 8alochlsLan ln november 2007
hlghllghLed varlous lssues and made several pollcy recommendaLlons 1he flrsL reporL
polnLed Lo Lhe need for consLlLuLlonal amendmenLs for Lransfer of sub[ecLs from Lhe
federal Lo Lhe concurrenL llsL and from Lhe concurrenL Lo a proposed provlnclal llsL as well
as leglslaLlve measures Lo frame new rules for Lhe CCl ubllc AccounLs CommlLLee
(AC) nC and lnLerrovlnclal CoordlnaLlon CommlLLee (lCC) lL suggesLed
confldencebulldlng measures such as upgradlng Lhe unlverslLles alrporLs hosplLals and
publlc schools Lo lnLernaLlonal sLandards (8eporL of Lhe SubCommlLLee on rovlnclal
AuLonomy 2007)
1he second reporL focused on paymenL of parL of Lhe gas and oll revenue recelpLs Lo Lhe
dlsLrlcL concerned and local represenLaLlon on Lhe board of L (aklsLan eLroleum
LlmlLed) CCuC (Cll and Cas uevelopmenL Company) and Sul SouLhern formula
regardlng royalLy and gas developmenL surcharge Lo 8alochlsLan lncludlng huge arrears
of royalLy lmplemenLaLlon and expanslon of Lhe [ob quoLa Lo Lhe armed and clvll armed
forces shlfLlng of Lhe head offlce of Lhe Cwadar ro[ecL from karachl Lo Lhe porL lLself
provlslon of share for 8alochlsLan ln employmenL revenue Lralnlng and educaLlonal
faclllLles for Lhe youLh relocaLlon of dlsplaced flshermen lnqulry lnLo lands ln Cwadar
dlsLrlcL announcemenL of much delayed nlC Awards conLrol and regulaLlon of Lhe
operaLlonal [urlsdlcLlon by Lhe lronLler Corps (lC) and CoasL Cuards and sLopplng Lhe
consLrucLlon of mlllLary canLonmenLs whlch were resenLed as parL of Lhe agenda of Lhe
percelved un[abdomlnaLed armed forces Lo sub[ugaLe Lhe 8aloch people (8eporL on Lhe
arllamenLary CommlLLee on 8alochlsLan 2007)
1he reform package
1he reform package called AghazePaqooqe8alochlsLan (8eglnnlng of Lhe 8lghLs of
8alochlsLan) was presenLed Lo Lhe [olnL slLLlng of Lhe Lwo houses of parllamenL on 24
november 2009 lL bullL on Lhe prevlous reporLs and Lhe governmenLrs recenL goodwlll
measures such as Lhe paymenL of 8s28 bllllon ln arrears of royalLy for gas pendlng from
16
1993 and wrlLlng off Lhe overdrafL of 8alochlsLan worLh 8s173 bllllon lL addressed Lhe
lssue of rmlsslng personsr le 8aloch naLlonallsLs ln alleged exLra[udlclal conflnemenL
1he package recommended Lhe repeal of Lhe concurrenL llsL raLlonallzaLlon of Lhe
operaLlons of Lhe CCl and nlC wlLhdrawal of army unlLs from Lhe Sul area and halLlng
Lhe consLrucLlon of canLonmenLs as well as esLabllshlng provlnclal conLrol over Lhe
lronLler Corps and CoasL Cuards lL upheld Lhe prevlous recommendaLlons abouL Cwadar
local represenLaLlon on Lhe corporaLe managemenL Lhe need for a speclal developmenL
package for Lhe provlnce paymenL of arrears ln gas royalLy r amounLlng Lo 8s 120
bllllon for Lhe perlod from 1934 Lo 1991 payable ln 12 monLhs Lransfer of a subsLanLlve
share ln Lhe Salndak pro[ecL and employmenL opporLunlLles for Lhe 8aloch (lull 1exL of
8alochlsLan ackage 2009)
1he package was crlLlclzed on several grounds lL falled Lo address Lhe publlc demand of
shlfLlng Lhe head offlce of Lhe Cwadar pro[ecL from karachl Lo Lhe clLy lLself 1he 8aloch
naLlonallsL leaderslnexlle summarlly re[ecLed lslamabadrs new lnlLlaLlve as a cruel [oke
wlLh Lhe people of 8alochlsLan 1hey were skepLlcal of Lhe ablllLy of Lhe clvlllan
governmenL Lo dellver on lLs commlLmenLs ln Lhe face of Lhe real power holders ln Lhe
form of Lhe mlllLary esLabllshmenL AL Lhe oLher end Lhe malnsLream opposlLlon parLy
MLn as well as eLhnlc parLles such as An generally appreclaLed Lhe package varlous
progresslve elemenLs remalned cauLlously opLlmlsLlc abouL Lhe reform package
CllglL8alLlsLan lnformal federallsm
ln SepLember 2009 Lhe governmenL lssued an auLonomy package for norLhern
Areas lL renamed Lhe area CllglL8alLlsLan and provlded lL a provlncellke sLaLus 1he
area represenLs a pollLlcal and consLlLuLlonal anomaly As a hlsLorlcal parL of kashmlr ln
Lhe conLexL of Lhe 1948 un resoluLlon Lhe area cannoL be lncorporaLed ln Lhe naLlonal
framework pendlng Lhe resoluLlon of Lhe larger dlspuLe beLween lndla and aklsLan
eople from CllglL8alLlsLan do noL wanL Lo go back Lo Lhe fold of Lhe larger enLlLy of
!ammu and kashmlr afLer Lhe reglon was leased Lo 8rlLlsh lndla by Mahara[a ln 1936
followed by a unllaLeral declaraLlon of accesslon Lo aklsLan by Lhe local admlnlsLraLor
17
Ma[or 8rown ln 1947 ln Lhe face of lncessanL pressures for auLonomy from Lhe local
populaLlon Lhe governmenL lssued a serles of reforms for Lhe area As opposed Lo A!k
whlch has lLs own consLlLuLlon parllamenL and [udlclary Lhls reglon was ruled by decree
mosL recenLly under Lhe 1994 LlC (unC nd 1) 1he demand for auLonomy ls
however noL separaLlsL buL lnLegraLlonlsL ln naLure lnasmuch as people wanL a full
provlnclal sLaLus for Lhemselves as parL of Lhe federaLlon of aklsLan 8elng rlch ln naLural
resources such as waLer carrylng subsLanLlal hydroelecLrlc poLenLlal wlLh Lhe currenL
8hashaueamlr dam pro[ecL ln place and belng slLuaLed on Lhe sLraLeglc rouLe Lo Chlna
Lhe lmporLance of Lhe reglon ls wldely acknowledged (khan 2009) lf and when CllglL
8alLlsLan becomes parL of Lhe federaLlon lL wlll be Lhe only Shla provlnce of Lhe
predomlnanLly Sunnl sLaLe of aklsLan uurlng Lhe pasL quarLer of a cenLury Lhe reglon
has undergone a process of flerce SunnlflcaLlon
1he 2009 Crder
1he CllglL8alLlsLan mpowermenL and SelfCovernance Crder 2009 changed Lhe name
of Lhe reglon provlded for a Chlef MlnlsLer as leader of Lhe LeglslaLlve Councll ubllc
Servlces Commlsslon Chlef lecLlon Commlssloner and AudlLor Ceneral A woman was
appolnLed as governor 1he won Lhe elecLlons held under Lhe new framework and
formed Lhe governmenL 1he Crder was challenged ln Lhe Supreme CourL wlLh a plea Lo
declare lL ulLra vlres of Lhe ConsLlLuLlon on Lhe ground LhaL lL negaLed Lhe rlghL Lo selfrule
and lndependenL [udlclary for Lhe reglon Across Lhe border lndla lodged a proLesL wlLh
aklsLan agalnsL Lhe package for a reglon LhaL was consldered by uelhl Lo be under
aklsLanrs lllegal occupaLlon lL crlLlclzed Lhe sLaLemenL of Lhe new chlef mlnlsLer of
CllglL8alLlsLan LhaL Lhe reglon had become Lhe flfLh provlnce of aklsLan (1he Plndu
2010) Slmllarly A!krs pollLlcal leadershlp dld noL counLenance Lhe percelved forward
march of CllglL8alLlsLan Lowards auLonomy LhaL would poLenLlally undermlne lLs clalm
over Lhe LerrlLory lL ls wldely belleved LhaL aklsLan ls lndlrecLly and lnformally
lnLegraLlng Lhe reglon ln Lhe malnsLream pollLlcal and admlnlsLraLlve sysLem (Serlng
2009 1)
1he 18Lh ConsLlLuLlonal AmendmenL
1he 18Lh AmendmenL passed ln Aprll 2010 was bllled as Lhe mosL comprehenslve reform
package afLer Lhe passage of Lhe 1973 ConsLlLuLlon ver slnce Lhe reLurn of Lhe clvlllan
rule ln 2008 Lhere was a popular demand of Lhe whole specLrum of pollLlcal leadershlp Lo
repeal Lhe 17Lh AmendmenL passed under Musharraf and reform Lhe ConsLlLuLlon ln Lhe
llghL of Lhe CharLer of uemocracy

1he CharLer of uemocracy
1he CharLer of uemocracy provlded Lhe workplan for Lhe Speclal arllamenLary
CommlLLee for ConsLlLuLlonal 8eform (SCC8) 1he Lwo malnsLream parLles and
MLn along wlLh oLher parLles slgned Lhe CharLer ln London ln May 2006 1he
CharLer demanded among oLher Lhlngs end Lo presldenLlal powers of dlssoluLlon of Lhe
naLlonal Assembly and appolnLmenL of governors armed servlces chlefs and Lhe Chlef
!usLlce abollshlng Lhe concurrenL llsL lssulng a new nlC award expanslon of Lhe
SenaLe Lo glve represenLaLlon Lo mlnorlLles lnLegraLlon of lA1A wlLh nWl
empowermenL of CllglL8alLlsLan llfLlng Lhe ban on assumpLlon of Lhe offlce of prlme
mlnlsLer for Lhe Lhlrd Llme esLabllshlng a 1ruLh and 8econclllaLlon Commlsslon and a
naLlonal uemocracy Commlsslon accounLablllLy of Lhe lSl Ml and oLher securlLy
agencles Lo Lhe elecLed governmenL removlng lndemnlLles lnLroduced by mlllLary
governmenLs appolnLmenL of Lhe hlgher [udlclary Lhrough a commlsslon chalred by a
chlef [usLlce who had never Laken oaLh under Lhe rovlslonal ConsLlLuLlonal Crder (CC)
and esLabllshlng a lederal ConsLlLuLlonal CourL wlLh equal represenLaLlon for all Lhe
federaLlng unlLs ln order Lo resolve Lhe consLlLuLlonal lssues 1he CharLer was halled as a
ueclaraLlon of lndependence
1he 27member SCC8 under SenaLor 8aza 8abbanl represenLed all parllamenLary
parLles Cnly 9 members belonged Lo Lhe Lhree malnsLream parLles MLn and
MLC whlle 18 belonged Lo eLhnlc parLles from smaller provlnces as well as lslamlc
parLles 1hus Lhe composlLlon of Lhe SCC8 was very progresslve resldenL Zardarl was
19
ln a unlque poslLlon Lo champlon Lhe cause of provlnclal auLonomy because hls elecLlon
as head of sLaLe ln SepLember 2008 drew on an absoluLe ma[orlLy of leglslaLors from Lhe
Lhree mlnorlLy provlnces of 8alochlsLan Slndh and nWl
SallenL feaLures of Lhe 18Lh AmendmenL
1he SCC8 spenL 383 hours on lLs dellberaLlons and recelved 982 proposals from Lhe
publlc ln Lhe process lL expanded lLs agenda beyond Lhe CharLer of uemocracy and dealL
wlLh varlous oLher conLroverslal maLLers 1he 18Lh AmendmenL made almosL 100 changes
lncludlng
r Abollshlng Lhe concurrenL llsL ln prlnclple Lransferrlng Lhe reslduary powers Lo
provlnces
r 8esLorlng parllamenLary soverelgnLy by repeallng ArLlcle 38 (2) (8)
r xpandlng Lhe [urlsdlcLlon of Lhe ollLlcal arLles AcL Lo lA1A Lhereby encouraglng
pollLlcal parLles Lo fleld Lhelr candldaLes from LhaL reglon ln fuLure elecLlons
r Maklng Lhe CCl a more subsLanLlve body
r 8esLrlcLlng Lhe space for lssulng presldenLlal ordlnances
r rovldlng for Lhe Chlef lecLlon Commlsslonerrs appolnLmenL on Lhe basls of
agreemenL beLween Lhe governmenL and Lhe opposlLlon
r sLabllshlng a !udlclal Commlsslon comprlslng 7 members lncludlng 4 [udges Lhe law
mlnlsLer Lhe aLLorney general and a represenLaLlve of Lhe Supreme CourL 8ar
AssoclaLlon and
r 8enamlng nWl as khyber akhLunkhwa
Lesser volces represenLed varlous unresolved buL llngerlng lssues LhaL falled Lo wln a
consensus of CC8 lor example An demanded elecLlon of presldenL on a roLaLlonal
basls from all federaLlng unlLs sLarLlng wlLh Lhe smaller provlnces MCM demanded
creaLlon of a few seaLs ln Lhe federal and provlnclal assemblles for overseas aklsLanls
Lhrough amendmenLs ln ArLlcle 31 and 106 !l demanded for presldenL noL Lo exerclse hls
power of clemency ln cases relaLlng Lo Padood or Casas laws kMA Lhe akhLun
naLlonallsL parLy ln 8alochlsLan wanLed a separaLe Chlef Commlsslonerrs provlnce Lo be
called khyber akhLunkhwa SouLhern and renamlng of lA1A as khyber akhLunkhwa
CenLral (CC8 8eporL 2010)
ollLlcal response
1wo crlLlcal perspecLlves surfaced even before Lhe passage of Lhe blll lnLo law 1he MLn
leader nawaz Sharlf ob[ecLed Lo Lhe composlLlon of Lhe !udlclal Commlsslon and renamlng
of nWl CC8 accommodaLed hlm on boLh counLs by lncludlng a 4Lh [udge ln
Lhe !udlclal Commlsslon as a dlrecL nomlnee of Lhe Chlef !usLlce and addlng khyber Lo
akhLunkhwa Powever boLh lssues laLer sparked a wave of proLesL 8enamlng of nWl
lald ouL Lhe Lurf for a demand for new provlnces 1radlLlonally Lhls demand was
underllned by radmlnlsLraLlver reasons such as good governance ln Lhe backdrop of
demographlc pressure geographlcal dlverslLy and sLraLeglc requlremenLs AfLer passage
of Lhe 18Lh AmendmenL several pollLlcal parLles asked Lhe federaLlon Lo relnvenL lLself by
creaLlng new provlnces such as four ouL of un[ab Lwo ouL of khyber akhLunkhwa Lwo
ouL of Slndh and Lhree ouL of 8aluchlsLan nawaz Sharlf preferred admlnlsLraLlve raLher
Lhan llngulsLlc provlnces rlme MlnlsLer Cllanl gave a poslLlve nod Lo Lhe demand for Lhe
Slralkl provlnce ln souLh un[ab hls own area buL LhoughL LhaL Lhls was noL Lhe rlghL Llme
for lL resldenL Zardarl was noL sure abouL Lhe pollLlcal fallouL of such a move and seLLled
for a walLandsee pollcy Whlle Lhe ongolng federallzlng process ln lndla operaLes as a
vehlcle of accommodaLlon and managemenL of eLhnlc ldenLlLles ln Lhe framework of
mulLlculLurallsm lf and when Lhe eLhnlc elecLoraLe can make a formldable demand for
recognlLlon (8haLLacharyya 2004 17879) language as an lnsLrumenL of federallzaLlon ls
noL accepLable ln aklsLan
CrlLlcs of Lhe 18Lh AmendmenL polnLed Lo Lhe fallure Lo meeL Lhe agenda of Lhe CharLer of
uemocracy lor example Lhere was no provlslon for a lederal ConsLlLuLlonal CourL no
merger of lA1A ln khyber akhLunkhwa no lndependenL accounLablllLy commlsslon Lo
replace nA8 and no accounLablllLy of lSl and Ml Lo clvlllan auLhorlLy Some clalmed
LhaL Lhe 18Lh AmendmenL much llke Lhe 1973 ConsLlLuLlon lLself dld noL provlde for an
lndependenL lecLlon Commlsslon an lndependenL [udlclary an lndependenL commlsslon
for accounLablllLy and a mechanlsm for a Lhlrd Ller of governmenL aL Lhe local level 1he
lobby for provlnclal auLonomy especlally ln Slndh crlLlclzed Lhe AmendmenL for
compleLely lgnorlng Lhe SenaLe ln Lerms of power sharlng maklng nC unrepresenLaLlve
of Lhe federaLlon by glvlng prlme mlnlsLer Lhe power Lo nomlnaLe four members on hls
own lnsLead of provldlng for represenLaLlves of four provlnces and conLlnulng wlLh
ArLlcle 62 carrylng Lhe lslamlc provlslons for ellglblllLy of elecLoral conLesLanLs and Lhus
allenaLlng rellglous mlnorlLles and secularmlnded people ln general Some found LhaL Lhe
AmendmenL dlffused Lhe demand for provlnclal auLonomy more Lhan addressed lL
fronLally averLlng Lhe reopenlng of Lhe Lhorny lssues of admlnlsLraLlve and flscal
decenLrallzaLlon (PalepoLo 2010)
AdmlnlsLraLlve response
Cfflclal clrcles ob[ecLed Lo whaL Lhey consldered Lo be dlsmanLllng of large parLs of Lhe
federal governmenL by deprlvlng lL of leglslaLlve powers Lhrough abollLlon of Lhe
concurrenL llsL 1here were fears abouL Lhe absence of a modus operandl for shlfLlng
varlous mlnlsLrles from Lhe CenLre Lo provlnces and Lhe problem of lmplemenLlng 33
lnLernaLlonal proLocols deallng wlLh sub[ecLs ranglng from envlronmenL Lo quallLy of llfe
All Lhe four provlnces developed dlfferences wlLh lslamabad over Lhe laLLerrs conLlnulng
use of Lhe Workersr Welfare lund and Lhe mployeesr Cld Age 8eneflLs lnsLlLuLlon on a
medla campalgn regardlng Lhe governmenLrs pro[ecL 8enazlr mployees SLock
CpLlon Scheme (uawn 22 !une 2010)
lor lmplemenLaLlon of Lhe 18Lh AmendmenL for Lransfer of mlnlsLrles from Lhe federal Lo
provlnclal governmenLs before 30 !une 2011 some recommended LhaL Lhe SCC8 should
remaln ln charge whlle oLhers proposed a rdevoluLlon commlsslonr llnally Lhe
governmenL consLlLuLed a 9member lmplemenLaLlon Commlsslon for ConsLlLuLlonal
8eforms (lCC8) headed by Lhe SCC8 Chalrman lCC8 Look up Lhe Lask of
lmplemenLlng Lhe pollcles declslons and dlrecLlves revlewlng laws rules and
regulaLlons and monlLorlng Lhe admlnlsLraLlve mechanlsm Lo brlng abouL Lhe LranslLlon ln
Lhe federal sLrucLure
Legal and [udlclal response
ArLlcle 173A of Lhe 18Lh AmendmenL provlded for a ma[orlLy of [udges ln Lhe !udlclal
Commlsslon and an 8member parllamenLary commlLLee wlLh equal represenLaLlon of Lhe
Lreasury and opposlLlon benches from Lhe Lwo houses of parllamenL for conflrmaLlon of
Lhe Commlsslonrs nomlnees as [udges SecLlons of some lawyers [urlsLs and Lhe medla
felL LhaL Lhe Commlsslon superseded Lhe Chlef !usLlce for appolnLmenL of [udges 16
peLlLlons were flled ln Lhe Supreme CourL agalnsL Lhe AmendmenL ln Lhe mldsL of a
naLlonwlde conLroversy abouL wheLher Lhe [udlclary could declare Lhe AmendmenL
unconsLlLuLlonal 1he Supreme CourL ellclLed commenLs of provlnclal governmenLs on Lhe
case un[ab and khyber akhLunkhwa governmenLs requesLed Lhe CourL Lo dlsmlss Lhe
peLlLlon sLralghL away Powever a slLuaLlon of Lussle beLween Lhe courLs and parllamenL
somewhaL along Lhe llnes of Lhe confllcL durlng lndla ln Lhe lasL Lwo decades kepL
brewlng up 1he hearlng of peLlLlons polarlzed Lhe legal oplnlon Some found Lhe
[udlclary sLruggllng Lo secure Lhe dlscreLlon of Lhe Chlef !usLlce for appolnLmenL of hls
colleagues whlle oLhers found lL a LesL case of lndependence of [udlclary 1he laLLer
polnLed Lo absence of parllamenLary overslghL ln uk ln Lhe maLLer of appolnLmenL of
[udges as a model CLhers suggesLed LhaL only parllamenL was Lhe rlghL lnsLlLuLlon Lo
declde abouL Lhe mosL sulLable conflguraLlon Lo declde Lhe mode of appolnLmenL 1he
conLroversy abouL wheLher Lhe currenL parllamenL belng ConsLlLuenL or noL was crlLlclzed
as a hollow aLLempL on Lhe parL of Lhe peLlLloners and Lhe [udlclary Lo undermlne Lhe
slLLlng leglslaLure 1he relevanL legal and [udlclal quarLers were dlvlded on wheLher
parllamenL was Lhe creaLlon of Lhe ConsLlLuLlon or Lhe ConsLlLuLlon was Lhe creaLlon of Lhe
parllamenL Slnce Lhe 18Lh AmendmenL was passed by consensus federallsm faced a
formldable challenge aL Lhe hands of [udlclary durlng lLs flnesL hour for nearly four
decades
23
Concluslon
Cur observaLlons polnL Lo Lhe hlsLorlcal legal lnsLlLuLlonal and moral sources of
leglLlmacy for Lhe sLrucLural and operaLlonal dynamlcs of federallsm ln aklsLan as
opposed Lo Lhe lnherenLly cenLrallzlng Lendency lmmersed ln Lhe naLlonbulldlng agenda
lederallsm ln aklsLan has a hlsLory of a forward movemenL under clvlllan rule (197377
198899 and 2008) and a reLrogresslve march under a mlllLaryled governmenL (1938
71 197788 and 19992008) 1he former Lends Lo be popullsL and consensusbased 1he
laLLer looks aL federallsm as a reclpe for dlluLlon of sLaLe auLhorlLy Powever federal
governmenLs under boLh clvlllan and mlllLary seLups showed a Lendency Lo conLrol Lhe
purse and pollcy aL Lhe cosL of provlnces lederallsm as a symbol of shared soverelgnLy
remalns somewhaL eluslve even as aklsLan has gradually moved Lowards relaLlve
llberallzaLlon of Lhe prlnclples of coordlnaLlon and cooperaLlon among and beLween
provlnces and Lhe CenLer
* An earller chapLer on federallsm ln aklsLan wrlLLen by kalsar 8engall and
AlshaChaus asha was publlshed by McClllCueenrs unlverslLy ress ln Lhe
Pandbook of lederal CounLrles (2003) for Lhe lorum of lederaLlons