Analysis of Federalism in Pakistan

Abstract

Pakistan is a federal polity albeit sadly, since it has adopted a centralized Federal system, it has not been able to deliver an adequate institutional framework, which has created an uproar among the ethnic groups. Imbalanced power relations between the center and provinces and unfair allocation of economic resources enlarged the gap of trust and formed high inequalities leading to religious sense of alienation and deprivation. This feeling of inferiority and deprivation spawned resentment in smaller provinces. This was the purpose of this research which aimed at analyzing federalism in Pakistan. The objectives of the study were to analyze nature of federalism in Pakistan, to identify both pros and cons of federalism in Pakistan. The relationship between the federal government and the provinces shifted as a result of the amendments of the disputed relation between the two. The sense of deprivation caused complaints in the smaller provinces which were due to the imbalance of power between the provinces and the center, economic resources are not distributed evenly. Equally, the whole country will be open to ethnic conflict due to political and economical exploitation and although it will mean fully enforcing the new 18^th amendment. The federal and provincial relationship rendered the same as the amendment reinterprets that relationship. In order to have an effective federal democracy, a constitution is indispensable. This paper has described the meaning of federalism, strengths and weaknesses of federalism in Pakistan. Finally this study made some important conclusions about the problem. Federalism was recommended.