Editorial
In any parliamentary democracy, the legislature performs two essential duties — making laws and ensuring the accountability of the executive. This accountability extends not only to the political leadership but also to the bureaucratic machinery that executes state policies. Without the legislature’s oversight, governance risks drifting toward unaccountable administration, undermining the very spirit of democracy.
Pakistan’s 18th Constitutional Amendment clearly delineated legislative, executive, and financial powers between the federation and the provinces. Yet, the persistence of federal control over provincial services through the outdated CSP Composition and Cadre Rules of 1954 represents a colonial relic. This framework allows the federal bureaucracy to occupy provincial posts, effectively insulating itself from provincial assemblies’ scrutiny. The Punjab Assembly, for instance, cannot hold federal officers accountable because their service conditions are governed by Islamabad’s Establishment Division — not the provincial legislature.
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This contradiction erodes the foundations of federal parliamentary governance. If provincial assemblies are deprived of authority over their own executive machinery, their constitutional mandate becomes ceremonial. True democracy demands that accountability flow from the people, through their elected representatives, to the bureaucracy. The continued control of the federal establishment over provincial administrative structures thus weakens both provincial autonomy and the principle of representative governance.
Alarmingly, there are growing speculations that efforts are underway to introduce a constitutional amendment — reportedly the 27th — to legitimize federal claims over provincial posts. Such a move would transform Pakistan into a unitary bureaucratic state, directly contradicting the federal character enshrined in the 1973 Constitution. It would also reverse decades of constitutional progress toward decentralization and provincial empowerment.
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Therefore, it is imperative that the spirit of federalism be preserved not only in legislative and fiscal matters but also in administrative governance. Pakistan’s stability and democratic integrity depend on restoring true provincial control over bureaucratic institutions. The survival of parliamentary federalism rests upon administrative federalism — without it, autonomy remains a constitutional illusion.
