NEARLY four years after the passage of the 18th Amendment, the process of devolution is continuing at a mixed pace in Pakistan. While some provinces are proceeding smoothly towards absorbing the powers formerly held by the centre, others have miles to go. As highlighted in this paper on Sunday, non-implementation of the legislation due to “post-18th Amendment confusion” is affecting service delivery in key sectors such as health and education. Punjab is faring better where devolution of powers is concerned, while the process in KP is also going relatively well. But Sindh and Balochistan are far behind. For example, in Sindh there have been reported hiccups concerning transfer of powers of some departments, while in Balochistan the lack of trained human resource is an issue. There are also reports that funds meant for certain projects in the province have been held up. Overall, the provinces, especially Sindh and Balochistan, need to vastly improve their capacity-building abilities, and display a greater sense of urgency to fully accept the responsibility the landmark 18th Amendment brings so that the fruits of devolution can reach the people. The task of transferring powers is indeed complex, especially in a set-up where centralism has long been favoured by the state; nevertheless, Islamabad and the provinces need to display greater resolve to implement the 18th Amendment in spirit.

It is also the view of a number of experts that there are legal loopholes standing in the way of smoother devolution. The provinces need to amend some laws and introduce new ones to give legal cover to the process. In Balochistan’s case, the focus should be on training local manpower to run the province’s departments, while any blockages affecting the transfer of funds must be cleared. The PPP, which was at the forefront of the drive for devolution, needs to address the lacunae in Sindh, which it rules, in order to fix the problems in service delivery. And while the transfer of powers is a lengthy process, some sort of time line is needed as the procedure should not be open-ended. The provinces particularly need to address the structural deficiencies as lack of capacity should not be used as an excuse to support talk of a ‘roll-back’ of powers.