IN a positive move, Prime Minister Imran Khan has called for closer centre-province coordination to fix patchy public services and a faltering economy. He expressed this desire at a meeting in Islamabad on Monday, which was attended by the chief executives of Punjab and KP where the PTI rules. It is unclear if the chief ministers of Sindh, controlled by the opposition PPP, and Balochistan, governed by a coalition led by his allies, deliberately stayed away or did not get an invite. Again, although the Sindh governor was present at the launch of the federal health insurance scheme, the provincial government wasn’t represented. Whatever the reason for this absence, greater efforts are required to bridge centre-province differences. Mr Khan touched on a crucial aspect of the relationship when he talked of improved coordination. As prime minister, it is also incumbent on him to not allow political differences to hamper united action on key issues if there is to be progress.

The task is difficult: the prime minister’s suggestion for greater coordination has come at a time when there are concerns that the federation wants to take over provincial powers; for instance, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has said that the centre wanted to interfere in the province’s collection of taxes on services and agricultural income. In fact, there are many who believe that there is an attempt to club together federal and provincial taxes and levies in one place to improve the ease of doing business. But the fact that the provinces have so far not been consulted can be construed as an attack on their autonomy.

Centre-province relations can be very complicated. In Pakistan, the highly centralised character of the federation has been a major factor behind decades of an acrimonious struggle for power between the two. That tug of war has continued even after the passage in parliament of the landmark 18th Amendment to the Constitution and finalisation of the seventh NFC award that attempted to balance these relations nine years back. Indeed, the friction between the centre and the provinces has escalated in recent months, not least because of certain federal actions like putting the Sindh chief minister on a no-fly list on alleged charges of involvement in fake bank accounts. The talk of undoing the 18th Amendment and plans to significantly cut the provincial share under the next NFC award aren’t helping the cause of the federation, or mending centre-province relations. It is the job of the rulers to reach out to the provinces and if they have any reservations about the power-sharing formula under the 18th Amendment or the previous NFC award they should discuss these at the proper forums to avoid being seen as imposing their will on the provinces.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2019