Centre spent Rs5tr on devolved subjects in violation of Constitution, Senate panel head says

ISLAMABAD: According to a Senate panel, the federal government has spent over Rs5 trillion on provincial subjects and ministries created through the Council of Common Interests (CCI), which is a violation of the Constitution, according to Senator Barrister Zamir Hussain Ghumro. The panel chair emphasized that the country is grappling with excessive federal spending and heavy borrowing, totaling $135 billion.

The Auditor General of Pakistan reported that the federal government's expenditure currently stands at around Rs19 trillion, while the total tax and non-tax revenue is Rs20 trillion, leaving no funds for the provinces and compelling the federal government to rely on loans. Ghumro stated that if the government had implemented the 18th Amendment, the country would not have needed financial assistance from the International Monetary Fund.

During the past 15 years, Pakistan received $15 billion from the IMF, while the government spent between $18 billion and $20 billion on devolved ministries and institutions. Ghumro argued that the wasted funds should have been allocated to infrastructure and social development, which would have transformed Pakistan. He stressed that the federal government should not spend money on provincial or other purposes as it belongs to taxpayers and is meant to be spent on the services rendered by the federal government under the Constitution.