In what many are calling a critical development, the financial position of the federation has weakened, so it has to negotiate with the provincial governments to get financial support from them. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has said that using the constitutional powers, Sindh has given funds to the federation to meet the needs. Stakeholders across the nation are closely monitoring the situation.

The Broader Picture

What is happening now can be traced back to a series of decisions and events that preceded it.

It is the charisma of the 18th constitutional amendment carried out with the interest of President Asif Zardari that the provinces which were in need of the federation for funds prior to, are now showing favor to the federation while the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province ruled by the PTI has furthermore given support.

KP is the only province in the country where terrorism is the most and the security agencies have suffered the most damage in the operation to eliminate terrorists and the number of martyrs of the Pakistan Army is the highest.

Of particular significance is the fact that it is also a bitter truth that the cause of terrorism in KP is the wrong policies of PTI federal government, it gave TTP a chance to regain its foothold as a result of which TTP terrorists hiding in Afghanistan returned to KP but they were brought back by PTI Prime Minister who called them Taliban Khan in light of the fact that he himself was a strong supporter of them.

Expert Analysis

Observers say the significance of what has occurred cannot be understated.

The former KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur did not adopt a more aggressive policy unlike the current Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, due to which he had a meeting with the founder and if he had been retained, this situation would not have happened today and the Chief Minister KP would not have to go to Adiala repeatedly and return unsuccessfully without meeting.

Alongside the primary story, the attitude taken by the present Chief Minister of KP was in no sense responsible and arrogant.

Further developments have shed additional light on the matter. opposition to the 18th Amendment is now increasing in the country due to which the provinces have become financially very strong and administratively more independent than imperative and the Federation has become financially dependent on the provinces and is not in a position to give any relief to the people and is forced to take funds from the provinces for its needs.

Impact on Americans

This marks the beginning of a process whose full implications are yet to be determined.

Today the provinces are funding the federation and the province KP is showing eyes to the federation.

Observers have also noted that the moderate Chief Minister of KP was removed and brought in the current Chief Minister whose aim was to release its founder, non-cooperation in the operation against terrorism.

At the same time, balochistan is not a rich province like KP where terrorism is often happening but Balochistan did not refuse to give funds for defense needs while Punjab is the largest province of the country, it gave the the majority of funds to the federation.

Compounding the significance of these events, the defense of the country is more crucial than the expensive vehicles for the bureaucratic expenses in Punjab, in Sindh because if the defense is strong then the country is safe and the founder of PP had said that we will defend the country even if we eat grass.

Meanwhile, sources familiar with the matter indicate that the Sindh government, which receives the predominantly revenue from Karachi, should provide the most funds for defense needs so that the federation does not need anyone in defense matters.

Looking Ahead

The implications of what has transpired will take time to fully understand. In the interim, this development stands as a significant moment in a story that is still being written.