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THE landmark 18th Amendment and seventh NFC Award radically reshaped Pakistan’s fiscal federalism by transferring greater powers and financial resources to the provinces so that authority would eventually flow closer to citizens through local governments. Sixteen years later, a new World Bank report , Strengthening Fiscal Federalism in Pakistan , has concluded that while the constitutional framework remains sound, its implementation has been patchy and ineffective. The federal government continues to run deficits because transfers to the provinces increased without a corresponding reduction in federal expenditure, or increase in the tax-to-GDP ratio. Islamabad still spends in devolved sectors, creating duplication and weakening fiscal discipline. The provinces themselves have failed to expand their own tax bases. And despite receiving larger fiscal transfers, they have devoted much of the additional resources to salaries and an expanding bureaucracy ...

MUZAFFARABAD: In a widely anticipated move, the PTI on Thursday announced its decision to boycott the upcoming Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) general election, stating it would instead stand by the people amid the prevailing political and social unrest. The announcement was made by PTI regional president and former AJK prime minister Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi through a statement shared with Dawn by his press secretary. “Expressing unwavering solidarity with the aspirations, right to self-determination, and democratic rights of the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the PTI has decided not to participate in the elections under the current circumstances,” Niazi said. He said that the decision was not a political strategy, but a principled stance aimed at aligning with the public. Regional president says party will stand with people amid prevailing political, social unrest Pointing to the ongoing turmoil across the AJK, the former premier noted that t...

THE recent appeal endorsed by civil society members from Pakistan and India, urging the prime ministers of both states to take “meaningful and sustained” steps for peace is well-intentioned. No rational mind will disagree with the need for peace in the subcontinent, and an end to the toxicity that has marked bilateral ties for nearly eight decades. Yet it takes two to tango, and while Pakistan has on numerous occasions tried to restart the dialogue process in the last few years, India has shown little enthusiasm for talks. Over 100 individuals have now signed the appeal, coordinated by a New Delhi think tank. It includes former diplomats, academics, politicians and peaceniks from both states. The signatories have called for taking CBMs, and restoring full diplomatic relations. Ties were first downgraded by Pakistan after India’s 2019 revocation of occupied Kashmir’s special constitutional status , while diplomatic relations went further south after Ind...

ISLAMABAD: In a significant development signaling a marked departure from the established judicial hierarchy, the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) has formally notified separate interview committees to vet candidates for appointment as additional judges in four high courts, with not a single Supreme Court judge included in any of the panels. The notification, issued on Wednesday and obtained by Dawn , invokes Rule 10A of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (Appointment of Judges) Rules, 2024, and bears the approval of the JCP chairperson — the chief justice of Pakistan. The committees have been tasked with interviewing candidates nominated until July 4, 2026, for the Lahore High Court (LHC), Islamabad High Court (IHC), Sindh High Court (SHC), and Balochistan High Court (BHC). Interestingly, the composition of the four committees, while varying slightly in their judicial members, uniformly draws its judicial strength from either the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) or the resp...