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

A Senate devolution panel convenor says the federal government has spent over Rs5 trillion on provincial matters and ministries linked to Council of Common Interests responsibilities, contrary to constitutional provisions. Dawn reported that Senator Barrister Zamir Hussain Ghumro cited Auditor General data and compared the amount with federal spending of around Rs19 trillion and combined tax and non-tax receipts of Rs20 trillion.

Ghumro argued that implementing the 18th Amendment and transferring relevant responsibilities could have avoided some federal outlays and borrowing. He said the IMF provided Pakistan $15bn over 15 years, while spending on devolved ministries and institutions reached $18bn to $20bn, according to his claim.

The panel also called for abolishing 24 ministries and institutions, after the CCI and Cabinet Division had sent proposals to the prime minister. It heard that Balochistan had 5,000 jobs advertised to address its federal appointment share, while the convener cited shortfalls exceeding 30,000 posts for Balochistan and 80,000 for Sindh.