A Step Towards Inclusive Federalism in Pakistan? The Politics of the 18th Amendment

Pakistan’s federal structures have been the subject of controversy since independence. Long-standing demands for change have been made, particularly changes to the vertical and horizontal division of resources and demands for a reorganization of provinces along ethno-linguistic lines. The 18th Constitutional Amendment of 2010 introduced major changes to the federal system, agreed by consensus. But have these changes gone far enough? This article analyses the changes that were made, engaging with debates concerning the wisdom of creating ethnofederal units, dividing core groups, as well as the optimal number of units. It concludes that while major changes have been made, they have not yet gone far enough. The diversity of Pakistan should be seen as a source of federal strength rather than as a weakness. Pakistan’s federation suffers from multiple tensions. The vertical distribution of powers, the number of provinces, their representation in central institutions, and the inequitable distribution of resources have exacerbated tensions between the provinces and the center, some of which have taken a violent turn. Many of these tensions have assumed an ethnolinguistic nature. Since 1973, the constitution has been amended several times, often by military rulers. In 2009, President Asif Al