Federalism

Federation is a group of states with a central government. Its power is shared between the
central government and the states, or provinces. The federal government is responsible for
governing all the four provinces of the country.

The 1973 constitution declared Pakistan a federation, with governing powers shared between
the central government and the four provinces, Punjab, Sindh, Northwest Frontier Province
(now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and Balochistan.

Features of federal form of government

Federation is a group of states with a central government. Its power is shared between the
central government and the states, or provinces. The federal government is responsible for
governing all the four provinces of the country.

The federal relationship must be established through a perpetual covenant of union, usually
embodied in a written constitution that outlines the terms by which power is divided or shared.

The constitution can be altered only by extraordinary procedures. The provinces often retain
constitution-making rights of their own, and they have substantial influence over the formal or
informal constitutional-amending process.

Federal systems demand that basic policies be made and implemented through negotiation, so
that all the members can share in making and executing decisions.

The political system must reflect the constitution by actually diffusing power among the
provinces. Such a diffusion of power is termed noncentralization. Noncentralization is a way of
ensuring in practice that the authority to participate in exercising political power cannot be
taken away from the provinces without common consent.

Noncentralization is also strengthened by giving the provinces guaranteed representation in the

national legislature.

Perhaps the most important single element in the maintenance of federal noncentralization is
the existence of a noncentralized party system. Noncentralized parties must be self-
perpetuating and they should function as decentralizing forces.
The maintenance of federalism requires that the central government and the provinces each
have substantially complete governing institutions of their own. Both separate legislative and
separate administrative institutions are necessary.

Successful federal systems have also been characterized by the permanence of their internal
boundaries. Boundary changes may occur, but such changes are made only with the consent of
the polities involved and are avoided except in extreme situations.

Challenges to Federalism in Pakistan

There are many conflicts between regional groups in Pakistan. The loss of East Pakistan
demonstrated the failure of Pakistan’s leaders to orchestrate a workable program of national
integration. Even after that event, Pakistan has had difficulty reconciling rival claims. Punjab,
being the largest and most significant province, has always been perceived as imposing its will
on the others, and even attempts at establishing quotas for governmental and
nongovernmental opportunities and resources have not satisfied the discontented. The
demands for an independent Sindhu Desh for the Sindhis and a Pakhtunistan for the Pathans,
and the violently rebellious circumstances in Balochistan, illustrate the nature and depth of the
problem of national integration. Because these various struggles have been directed against
centralized authority, they have merged with the democratic struggle. But their express aims
have been to secure greater regional representation in the bureaucratic and military
establishment, especially in the higher echelons, and to achieve effective decentralization of
powers within the federal system by emphasizing regional autonomy.
Q. What characteristic of society leads to adoption of federal form of government? How it can
function successfully?

Ans. Following are the two main characteristics of society which lead to adoption of federal
form of government.

A huge population consisting of different ethnicities would best collaborate with a federation.
The federal system would ensure decentralization of power among different ethnic groups.

A country covering a large area would require a federal form of government, as its different
regions could best constitute different states.

Q. How it can function successfully?

The federal government will run successfully by implementing the features of federal form of
government.

Q. Bring out clearly the difference between unitary and federal forms of governments.

Ans. A unitary system is different from a federal system in that a unitary system is composed of
one central government that holds all the power, while a federal system divides power
between national and local forms of government.

Places its power in one central governing system

• Very little political power exists outside the central government

• The powers of this governing system are uniformly applied throughout

• All major government decisions are made by the central government

• If smaller government units are established they are controlled by the central government
and can be abolished by such without their consent

• Many unitary governments are either dictatorships or totalitarian

• Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Barbados, Morocco, and Spain are examples of unitary monarchy
government

Features of federal government...

Q. How far 18th amendments will transform the existing federal system in Pakistan?

Ans.Ans. The 1973 constitution declared Pakistan a federation, with governing powers shared
between the central government and the four provinces, Punjab, Sindh, Northwest Frontier
Province (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and Balochistan. It introduced many clauses that would
create harmony between Central Government and the Provinces.

The following clauses in the 1973 constitution ensured harmony between the Central
Government and the Provinces:

Pakistan shall be a federation, Parliament shall be bi-cameral where allocation of seats in

national assembly will depend on the population ratio in each province, while the senate will
have equal representation of each province. Thus, the interests of the provinces will be
safeguarded at the centre.

Provincial Assembly can make laws for the Province.

Supreme Court will be authorized to solve center-provinces or province-province conflicts.

Provinces will have appropriate share in national income.

The 8th and 17th amendment, which were made by military regimes, empowered the central
government over the provincial ones. These changes were reversed in the 13th and 18th
amendment.

The 18th Amendment , passed in 2010, removed most of the constitutional changes introduced
during military regimes. It restored Pakistan from a semi-presidential to a parliamentary
republic, and renamed North-West Frontier Province to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The amendment
was intended to counter the sweeping powers amassed by the presidency under former
presidents General Pervez Musharraf and General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq and to ease political
instability in Pakistan. It also granted provinces greater autonomy.

Conclusion

While the power balance between the center and the provinces was disturbed by constitutional
amendments of military rulers, it was restored by subsequent democratic governments,
especially with the 18th Ammendment.