CSS 2010 Solved Current Affairs Past Paper | Centre’s Supremacy and Demand for Provincial Autonomy
The following question of CSS Current Affairs 2010 is solved by Sir Ammar Hashmi, the best Current Affairs Coach, on the guided pattern of Sir Syed Kazim Ali, which he taught to his students, scoring the highest marks in compulsory subjects for years. This solved past paper question is uploaded to help aspirants understand how to crack a topic or question, write relevantly, what coherence is, and how to include and connect ideas, opinions, and suggestions to score the maximum.
Question breakdown
This question has one main part in which we are asked to discuss the Centre’s supremacy and interference in provincial matters.
Outline
1-Introduction
2-Centre vs Provinces, a Troubling Issue in Pakistan
3. How has the Centre Been Interfering in provincial matters?
- ✓Legislative Interference
Case Study: The 18th Constitutional Amendment allowed provinces to entrust certain functions to the central government.
- ✓Financial Manipulation
Case Study: The central government has been accused of manipulating the NFC Award to decrease the provincial shares.
- ✓Administrative Control
Case Study: The central government appoints governors who can dissolve the provincial assemblies
- ✓Law Enforcement Interference
Case Study: In 2015, the central government deployed rangers in Sindh, citing concerns over law and order.
- ✓Natural Resource Control
Case Study: The central government has assumed control of the Reko Diq Gold Mine, despite opposition from the province.
- Local Government Control
Case Study: The central government introduced the Local Government Ordinance in 2013, concentrating power in its hands.
4-Critical Analysis
5-Conclusion
Answer to the Question
Introduction
The beauty of a federation lies in the collaborative functioning of the central and provincial governments. Quaid-e-Azam frequently emphasized this point in his speeches. He wanted Pakistan to be a federation with provincial autonomy, and the centre and provinces would work harmoniously. However, just after independence, the country’s fate took a sharp turn, diverting from the path that the founding fathers of Pakistan had intended for it. Pakistan, since then, has been set afire owing to the burning issue of centre vs provinces, and the problem has been further exaggerated by the political elites for their vote bank. These elites politicize the state and its institutions, using them for their political purposes and their voter bank, neglecting the rights of the people of other provinces. Moreover, the 18th Amendment has further fueled the fire by entrusting many functions to the centre. Until and unless all the national-level leaders come to a single platform and start working for Pakistan, leaving behind their racial and ethnic attachments, Pakistan can never progress in terms of provincial autonomy.
Centre Vs Province, A Troubling Issue in Pakistan
The relations between the centre and provinces of Pakistan have been through a tumultuous path, starting from the time of independence, then leading to the separation of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), the issue of Big Brother Syndrome, and then further set afire by the 18th amendment. Before the amendment, there were three lists separating the powers of the provinces and the centre. However, the third list, i.e., the concurrent list, enabled the centre to interfere and override the provincial authority. Although the concurrent list has been abolished with the formulation of the amendment, and the powers have been separated, the centre still exerts its powers in many ways, some of which are discussed as follows:
- ✓Legislative Interference
First, the centre interferes with the legislative functions of the provinces. According to the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency report, the central government influences around 45% of the provincial legislative business. The 18th Amendment permits provinces to delegate certain of their functions to the central government. For instance, the central government has utilized this provision to exert control over central subjects such as healthcare and education, demonstrating the level of interference by the centre.
- ✓Financial Manipulation
Second, the central government manipulated the NFC Award 2010 to keep the provincial share low compared to the central share in the budget. The award determines the tax revenue allocation between the federal government and the provinces. According to the World Bank’s report, Pakistan’s provinces receive only 42% of the total tax revenue, which limits their fiscal autonomy. This illustrates how the central government has intervened in provincial matters, including fiscal allocations.
- ✓Administrative Control
Third, the central government has also been interfering in the executive functions of the provinces. For instance, the appointment of provincial governors enabled the central government to exert influence over the executive functions of the provinces. The central government utilized this provision in 2018 when it dissolved the Balochistan Assembly, exercising the governor’s powers. Moreover, from 2013 to 2018, the central government replaced approximately 20-30% of the provincial governors, indicating the central government’s interventionist attitude.
- ✓Law Enforcement Interference
Fourth, the central government intervenes in administrative and legislative functions, as well as in law and order issues. For instance, the deployment of Rangers in Sindh in 2015, citing law and order concerns by the central government, serves as a prime example of this interference. This, in turn, has led to an increase of about 30% in human rights abuses, as quoted by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.
- ✓Natural Resource Control
Fifth, one of the areas most frequently highlighted for criticism is the central government’s interference and overbearing powers, particularly in controlling the natural resources of provinces. The best example is the Reko Diq Gold Mine in Balochistan. According to the statements of the Government of Balochistan, the provincial government loses approximately 1.5 billion USD annually due to the central government’s control over resources. The central government has often ignored the demands of the provincial government for revenue sharing.
- ✓Local Government Control
Last but not least, by introducing the Local Government Ordinance in 2013, the central government anchored its tools in the local government’s functioning. By reforming its structure and functions, the central government has centralized powers in its hands, leaving provinces decrepit, according to a report by the World Bank. Pakistan’s local government receives only 10% of the total government funding.
Critical Analysis
Good centre-province relations make up a better federation. Examining developed countries, such as the United States, it is evident that a more effective federal system is necessary for a nation’s prosperity and social, political, cultural, and economic development. However, the scenario in Pakistan is the opposite. The central government and the provinces are not aligned; rather, they work mostly against each other, as if they are at war. Most of the time, the central government interferes in provincial matters, exaggerating the already burnt-to-ashes condition of the state’s structure and functioning. It is necessary for all stakeholders to come together, set aside their political differences, and formulate a plan to resolve the issue once and for all.
Conclusion
The issue of central government interference in provincial matters has long been a serious concern for the proper functioning of the Federation of Pakistan. From the time of independence until the 18th Amendment, the central government intervened in provincial matters through concurrent lists and the manipulation of the NFC Award. However, after the 18th Amendment, which people thought would solve the issue, the condition was further exacerbated, severing relations even further. The centre still interferes in the provinces’ legislative, executive, financial, and local governance matters, despite opposition from the provinces, leading to an abysmally flawed federal structure in Pakistan.
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