Too broke to obey the Constitution
EDITORIAL: A federal government struggling to contain expenditure and repeatedly turning to foreign lenders is now being accused by a Senate subcommittee of wasting between Rs5-6 trillion every year simply because it has failed to complete a constitutional devolution process that should have been settled long ago. The Senate Subcommittee on Devolution says ministries, institutions and functions…
A Senate subcommittee has accused Pakistan's federal government of wasting between Rs5-6 trillion annually due to the failure to complete a constitutional devolution process. The panel identified 25 ministries and bodies, such as health, education, and housing, that should have been transferred to provinces or the Council of Common Interests, but remain under federal control despite the 18th Constitutional Amendment.
If implemented, this could reduce federal expenditure by the estimated Rs5-6trn annually. The government, already struggling with expenditure and relying on foreign lenders, is now being criticized for wasting public resources. Questions arise about how this situation was allowed to persist, why earlier warnings were not acted upon, and who bears responsibility for the financial consequences.
The committee's findings demand scrutiny, with a transparent breakdown of the alleged expenditure and constitutional status of every institution. If the committee's estimate is accurate, the government should conduct an immediate review and publish the results, devolving, restructuring, or abolishing institutions that violate constitutional provisions.
Until then, Pakistan's fiscal problems might continue to be fueled by unconstitutional retention of federal functions.
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