Issues of Federalism in Pakistan During 1999-2013

Abstract

Federalism is a system of government which includes a specific pattern of connection between the Center and the province. Since its foundation, Pakistan has been confronting the challenges of acknowledgment of a certified federation which could meet desires of the federating units. Shockingly, we have failed to establish such an effective federal system due to different reasons. Pakistani society is much diversified and keeping in mind the end goal to accommodate the centripetal and diffusive powers, it is vital that the arrangement of federalism is reinforced on sound footings. From the very beginning Pakistan adopted a highly centralized system which in turn resulted into various crises. The provinces always complained of deprivation due to lack of enough provincial autonomy. This has brought forth the regionalist inclinations. The Baloch, Bengalis, Muhajirs, Punjabis, Sindhis, Saraikis and a lots of other smaller ethnic tendencies have stressed with the outskirt of Pakistan to declare themselves versus each other and the central government regularly notwithstanding incessant mistreatment and viciousness. Since 1947, Pakistan had to face multifarious problems at the very outset and could not place regional identities properly that resulted in imbalance threatens the very existence of Pakistan. The predicament before Pakistan had been to make a national character out of devise local and semantic loyalties. The thesis seeks to explore in empirical detail the genesis of the Baloch and Saraiki ethnic movements from the perceptive of their political and ideological focus. I argue that the political and ideological focus of Baloch ethnic movement is a cause of division within the ethnic group, and that despite having common cultural, linguistic and racial features, the divisiveness of ethnic group is a manifest phenomenon which should be put into proper perspective. Moreover, intera-ethnic conflict becomes a convenient tool in the hands of the ruling elite in order to divide and weaken the resistance that ethnic movement pose to their respective authority. Saraikis also considered themselves as deprived and backward. Their grievances can be reduced by giving them proper resource, share in power and resources. It can also be achieved by dividing province of Punjab in administrative basis. The globalization and its related difficulties have exchanged to idea of decentralization from negligible business of local government to a more extensive idea of governance. By exchanging installments to lower levels of government, the federal government really tries to include all unifying units in financial improvement of the nation. After freedom, the government of Pakistan embraced the xii colonial monetary structure for grants and awards Center and the units however this instrument couldn't be incorporated because of undemocratic political culture. The equations of resource distribution were often denounced by the federation units. After promulgation of 18th Amendment in the 1973 Constitution, provinces were given more money related and managerial independence through seventh NFC Award. Although, the seventh NFC Award has fortified the discernment about provincial autonomy, yet because of capacity issues, advantages couldn't be accomplished in Pakistan.