Strengthening Participatory Federalism and Decentralization

A Dialogue with Political Parties on Future of Federalism and Democratic Devolution in Strengthening Participatory Federalism and Decentralization

Introduction

On August 1st, 2013, the Centre for Civic Education in Pakistan (CCEP) and United Nations Development Program (UNDP) organized a dialogue with Pakistan's mandate-bearing political parties on the “Future of Federalism and Democratic Devolution in Pakistan”. The main objectives of the dialogue were: 1. To understand political parties perspectives and positions on federalism and democratic devolution 2. To seek ideas from political parties as how to optimize the dividends of the 18th Constitutional Amendment 3. To understand the perspectives and plans of provincial governments on deepening local democracy through local governments.

All mainstream political parties that earned mandate during Election-2013 were invited.

Historically, democratic political demands and developments in Pakistan have revolved around the questions of provincial autonomy, control/management of natural resources and equitable sharing of nation's wealth among the federation and its constituent units. Having been founded as a federation in 1947, Pakistan's history has been marked by periods of authoritarian rule and by centralized administration, even during periods of democratic government. A strong demand from all quarters, especially from provincial political leaders, for 'true federalism' resulted in the passage of the 18th Constitutional Amendment which has been described by Senator as the “most comprehensive restructuring of the federal and provincial administration since 1947”.

However, the implementation of this potentially reforming constitutional amendment has not been without significant challenges, making an exploration of points of policy convergence imperative to its success. The timing of this consultation is also made crucial by the 2013 Elections in Pakistan which have brought new and diverse stakeholders to the forefront in every federating unit.

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Summary

The conference was attended by representatives from most mainstream political parties that earned mandate in the elections of 2013, government functionaries, civil society representatives, academia, technical experts and development partners. As the dialogue was held in the last week of Ramadan, a traditional time for Muslims to travel to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah, some guests such as representatives from the ruling party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) were not able to attend.

Various ideas about strengthening federalism and improving devolution came to the forth in the dialogue. Equitable sharing of energy resources in the light of the constitution is clearly an important concern, shared by most political parties represented. Three of the speakers Mr. of PPP, Mr. Haji Adeel of ANP and Shehryar Afridi of Tehreek-e- Insaf referred to the Article 158 of the Constitution of Pakistan which states “The Province in which a well-head of natural gas is situated shall have precedence over other parts of Pakistan in meeting the requirement from that well-head, subject to the commitments and obligations as on the commencing day”. Speakers from Khyber Pakthunkhwa commented on the high price of electricity that they are forced to pay once the electricity generated is put into the national basket. Jan Muhammad Achakzai, the spokesperson for Jamiat Ulema-e- Islam (JUI), specifically spoke of the small percentage of electricity produced by which is returned to the province and at a much higher price than the cost at which it is produced. Mr. Usman Kakar representing the Pakhtunkhwa Mili Awami Party commented on the recent move by the Federal Government to purchase electricity from China saying that this decision has been made ignoring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's ability to produce enough cheap electricity to be supplied to the whole country. Similarly Shoukat Yousafzai, representative from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) and current Minister for Information and Health in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, also spoke of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's energy woes saying that Islamabad's recently announced energy policy has ignored Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's demand for ownership of electricity

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distribution in the province. He also demanded that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's ability to provide cheap electricity to industry be used to attract investment in the province. In addition to demanding that the distribution of electricity should be devolved to the provinces, speakers from argued that Sindh should have the first right over the electricity produced in the province.

Economic devolution was another concern that was shared by most speakers. Dr. Farooq Sattar demanded a greater control over taxation for the provinces. A number of speakers also called for the devolution of the Employees Old Age Benefits Institute (EOBI) as well as of Worker's Welfare fund. It was further demanded that assets that have been devolved to the provinces should be handed over to increase capacity.

It was recommended that the new government should demonstrate its commitment towards strengthening of federalism in Pakistan by constituting a parliamentary committee to oversee the process of devolution in Pakistan. Mr. Taj Haider also suggested the establishment of a Federal Constitutional Court to monitor the federal decisions made by the federal government. The importance of keeping the Council for Common Interests (CCI) an active body was also shared amongst the speakers.

On the issue of Local Government most speakers pressed for the need to develop a law for local government. MQM revealed to the participants a draft for such a law prepared by the party. Dr. Farooq Sattar discussed his party's vision for local government that goes beyond dealing with municipality issues to become 'engines for growth' in the 21st century. Bushra Gohar from the argued that local body elections should be party based and it should be ensured that elections take place in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) as well.

Finally, most speakers expressed a deep concern for the future of the federalism in Pakistan which they perceived as being under threat by centralist forces.

Proceedings:

The dialogue began with opening remarks from the Executive Director of the Centre for Civic Education Pakistan (CCEP), Mr. Zafarullah Khan who welcomed the participants on the behalf of the CCEP and thanked the UNDP for their support in organizing the event. Mr. Khan touched upon the importance of the timing of this dialogue saying that since the elections, new players have emerged in Pakistan and it would be extremely valuable to understand their perspectives on the issue of federalism and democratic devolution in Pakistan. He added that the topic of devolution and democracy was important to citizens as consumers of democracy. Referring to a recent ruling by the Supreme Court ordering the making of Local Governments Law, he underlined the importance of hearing the perspective of political parties on this important issue of judicialization of reforms.

Marc- André Franche, Country Director for UNDP in Pakistan expressed his happiness at having the opportunity to hear from political parties on the important issue of democratic devolution and federalism. He said that this event was part of UNDP's plan to organize many such events, which would help in creating an understanding of the contours of this subject, encouraging intergovernmental dialogue and enhancing accountability. Mr. Franche added that as a French Canadian, he is someone who truly understood the value of federalism, and considers the passage of the 18th Amendment to be a victory for Pakistan and an important historical development.

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Jan Muhammad Achakzai, the spokesperson for JUI was the first to speak from the side of the political parties. Mr. Achakzai described the passage of the 18th Amendment as a watershed in the Pakistan's history, which represented a consensus over how the country could move from centralization towards devolution. Discussing the pressing issue of energy sharing and resource mobilization, he argued that the 18th amendment had come up with a deficient formula for sharing electricity and other minerals. He pointed out that many countries, like Thailand, share energy resources in a way that the provinces get three times the share of the centre. Mr. Achakzai highlighted the grievances of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh with regards to energy resource sharing. He pointed out that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa produces around 4000 MW of electricity of which it only got 1100 MW back once it is put in the national basket. On top of that, he added, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is forced to pay the same price for electricity as the rest of the country despite its ability to produce it for much cheaper than other provinces. In this regard, he argued, that the 18th amendment could do a lot more. The second aspect of the 18th amendment that Mr. Jan Achakzai discussed was Local Government. He pointed out that while politicians did not wish to disagree with devolution, they had bad memories associated with the system which had been abused in the past, resulting in reluctance in its proper implementation. He summed up his speech by saying that much had been achieved by the 18th Amendment and Senator Raza Rabanni must be commended for his contribution towards its passage. He asked those in attendance, to ponder over how autonomy for local governments could be achieved and how financial and energy resource distribution could be improved.

Dr. Farooq Sattar, from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), was the next speaker to share his thoughts. Dr. Sattar highlighted the importance of the issues being discussed by arguing that it is not merely the future of federalism or democracy that is at stake but the future of Pakistan itself. He argued that this process of improving federalism in Pakistan has begun very late, but it is now imperative to allow it to reach its proper conclusion. He underscored the significance of decentralization of administration arguing that much needs to be done for its achievement. Dr. Sattar lamented that the 18th amendment's implementation is far from complete and attributed this to the mindset of the administration in the past five years which could not even ensure the revival of local government. According to him, this is the biggest deficit of democracy in Pakistan, leaving the citizens disenfranchised and the country as a “Feudocracy” where elective local government is missing and election success is not tied to past performance.

Dr. Sattar next discussed financial delegation without which, he argued, all talk of devolution and federalism is empty. He insisted that we need to move away from financial division based only on population. He added that Pakistan needs to undergo a transformation and issues like terrorism and economy require our immediate attention and redistribution of power between the civil and military is essential. In discussing the deficits of the 18th Amendment, he pointed towards the Employees Old Age Benefits Institute (EOBI) and General Sales Tax on services, which has not been devolved. He argued that there are many other issues left to be devolved such as oil and gas, electricity and ports. Furthermore, he called for a Parliamentary Commission to be made which can oversee and respond to the needs of the process of devolution.

Returning to the issue of Local Government in Pakistan, Dr. Sattar clarified that contrary to general belief, Local Government Institutions did not merely exist to respond to municipal needs, but have the potential to become engines of growth in the 21st Century. He highlighted the practical gains to be made from stronger Local Government Organizations, which can be made partners in the collection

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of Sales Tax and in the implementation of counter terrorism policy by playing the role of neighbourhood watch. He further added that the Article 7-32 and Article 140-A of the constitution needed to be implemented.

Dr. Sattar revealed to the audience that MQM has researched Local Government all over the world and prepared a Local Government Law for Pakistan which would, if implemented, empower its citizens. He concluded that MQM's vision of Local Government sees the devolution of most aspects of governance including traffic, police, social sector, fisheries, collection of local tax and motor vehicle law.

Dr. Ishaq Baluch of National Party (NP) was the next speaker to address the audience. He began by thanking the organizers for providing this opportunity for a discussion on the subject of devolution and federalism in Pakistan. Mr. Baluch alluded to the importance of federalism arguing that it was the denial of federalism that had led to the dismemberment of Pakistan in 1971. He commended Senator Raza Rabanni for having geared the committee towards consensus over the issue through the 18th Amendment. He added, however, that devolution in Pakistan was still a work in progress. He commented that it was nonsensical to keep treatment for diseases such as Malaria and TB with the Federal Government while the need existed in the provinces. Dr. Baluch argued that the names of ministries are being changed in a way that is detrimental to the achievement of federalism. He said that Pakistan is multinational and diverse and keeping the Ministry of Heritage with the federal government is denial of this diversity. Similarly, education, dairy and workers welfare are still practically with the federal government. Dr. Baluch called for confidence building measures to be taken especially for Baluchistan where participation for people was limited. He concluded by saying that the 18th Amendment is a historical development and politicians need to act as watchdogs for its effective implementation.

Mr. Usman Kakar, representing the Pukhtunkhwa Mili Awami Party, also commended the previous government of Pakistan Peoples' Party for making an effort towards the achievement of federalism in Pakistan. He urged Prime Minister Mian to form another parliamentary committee to oversee its proper implementation. He argued that terrorism is Pakistan's biggest problem, the responsibility for which lies with the central government because of their policy making but the price of which is paid for by the Provinces. He called for the government in Islamabad to stop making pro-Taliban policies and to consult the Council for Common Interests (CCI) in the decision making even on issues of foreign policy. He also discussed the energy policy which is made at the centre and does not include provincial opinions. Mr. Kakar asserted that the central government had ignored Khyber Pakhtunwa's ability to provide electricity to the whole country and gone to China to purchase it instead. He also called for a population census to take place and demanded that Higher Education Commission (HEC) be devolved as well. Mr. Kakar expressed his belief that security issues should be jointly addressed between the centre and the provinces and intelligence sharing should take place frequently. Finally, he also called upon the Prime Minister to make a parliamentary committee and proposed that Senator Raza Rabbani should chair it.

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Ajmal Khan Wazir of Pakistan Muslim League-Q next addressed the gathering and also declared the 18th Amendment to be a great achievement but pointed out that there are a few things yet to be done. He said that the Workers Welfare Fund is yet to be devolved. Mr. Wazir then discussed terrorism at length and argued that much needed to be done to improve the law and order situation in the country. He also advocated for the rights of the citizens in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

Mr. Taj Haider of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) said that the need of the hour was to reach a consensus. The mere passage of the 18th Amendment, he said, was not enough but what has followed it is more important, pointing out that devolution of responsibility and not of resources is not true devolution. He also mentioned the Workers Welfare Fund and the Employees Old Age Benefits Institute which are yet to be devolved. Mr. Haider pointed out that Article 158 is clear in stating that the province where the well-head of natural gas is located has the first right over it, but Sindh only manages to use 34% of all of Sindh's natural gas. This, according to him, has had a negative impact on the industry and investment in the province. He lamented that the central government has made investment in projects for importing natural gas such as plans for pipelines, when the same investment in Sindh could have increased national output of natural gas by 25%. He referred to Article 172 of the constitution which gives 50% ownership of mineral oil and natural gas to the provinces but argued that the provinces did not receive their share of tax revenue for these resources. Mr. Haider also mentioned the Jhimpir Wind Power Plant in Sindh, built with Turkish investment, and asserted that the villagers of the area did not have electricity and felt that even their wind had been taken away by the centre. He remarked that except for Punjab, all the provinces are producing surplus electricity. He also criticised the Punjab government's decision to put up a power generation plant in Gandani in Baluchistan.

Mr. Haider moved on to discuss proposed privatization plans arguing that if Pakistan International Airline (PIA) or Pakistan Steel Mills in are privatized, thousands would lose their jobs and Sindh would have to provide for those laid off, so it is only fair that proceeds from privatization are shared with Sindh. He further argued that the implementation of the 7th National Finance Commission Award must be monitored. He argued against the Federal Excise Duty on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) which should not be charged to the province to which the resource belongs. He proposed the establishment of a Federal Constitutional Court to monitor the decisions made by the federal government. On the issue of Local Bodies elections, Mr. Haider said that he hoped that since the Supreme Court had issued a deadline the provincial assemblies would manage to pass the law for Local Body elections by the 11th or 12th of September.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's Shoukat Yousafzai was the next participant to speak; he is the current Minister for Information and Health in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He also began by expressing his support for the 18th Constitutional Amendment but said that he wanted to share a few of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's complaints with regards to the implementation of the 18th Amendment. He argued that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been endowed with minerals, coal and water in great quantities and is producing surplus electricity at 90 paisas per unit which is sold back to the province at a far higher price of 14 rupees per unit. He said that these resources could be 6 Strengthening Participatory Federalism and Decentralization

used to attract investment but because electricity is as expensive in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as the rest of the country, investors are not attracted to invest in the province. The recent energy policy announced by the federal government does not take into account Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's demand for ownership of electricity distribution in the province, which he claims will help in combating load-shedding. He further argued that terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa today is a result of the federal government's inability to get drone attacks stopped. He surmised that everyone would see the result of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government's policies within 3 months and urged that PTI must not be left in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa alone to deal with their problems and must be assisted by the central government.

Anisa Zeb of the Quami Watan Party also hailed the 18th Amendment as an important development and congratulated those present and all other Pakistani nationals for the passage of this revolutionary constitutional amendment. She said that this development had changed the way have thought about federation, making them realize that stronger federating units make a strong federation not the other way round. She lamented that since Pakistan's birth, the gap between the 'haves and the have-nots' has been increasing. Smaller national groups have often felt neglected by the governments in the centre. Turning to Khyber- Pakhtunkhwa and FATA she said that these areas have been suffering from the fall back of the situation in Afghanistan. She said that even though everyone understands this fact and agrees with it, no compensation has been provided to the province. She said that Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa does not have a port and requires development. Electricity concessions that were once provided to industry have been taken away. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa can become a trade corridor but requires attention. Land reforms also need to take place in Pakistan. She also called for a parliamentary committee, chaired by Senator Raza Rabbani, to be made to oversee the proper implementation of the 18th Amendment in its true letter and spirit. Furthermore, population census needs to take place. The Senate must be made more powerful and elected on the basis of adult franchise.

Shehryar Afridi, representing the Tehreek-e-Insaf, said that after the passage of the 18th constitutional amendment it has been realized that the strength of democracy in a country depended on strength and effectiveness of Federating Units. However, these realizations were not shared by those at the centre. According to him, the centre is keeping the properties of devolved ministries and government officials were not going to the provinces. The requested census has not taken place and local government elections are needed as well as the need to come up with a good law for local government. He further said that Articles 158-162 of the constitution should be revisited and subsidies must be brought in. He urged the participants to move forward and ensure the implementation of the 18th amendment.

Senator Haji Muhammad Adeel from the ANP was the next to speak to the gathering. He said that he had been a member of the 18th, 19th and 20th amendment committee as well as of the 7th NFC. He further said that his party is a nationalist party which has worked for the betterment of democracy, and aims to get maximum autonomy for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said that many speakers mentioned the positive aspects of the 18th amendment and he wished to elaborate on some negatives that had not been mentioned. He said that all four of Pakistan's major regional languages should have been declared national languages. He added that the non- Muslim Pakistanis' rights have not been achieved through the 18th

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Amendment; they do not have the right to become Prime Minister or and are still living as second class citizens in this country.

Senator Adeel said that Article 247 about FATA and Provincially Administered Tribal Areas PATA should be deleted and the people of FATA should be given their rights. He concurred with Taj Haider of PPP and said that according to the Article 158 of the constitution of Pakistan, the people of the province where the well head of natural gas is located have the first right over it and this is being denied. He hailed the change of NWFP's name to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as a great achievement. Mr. Adeel further said that the parliamentary committee tried its best to address the grievances of Baluchistan and managed to get Baluchistan an extra 3 billion in royalties. The 7th NFC Award also gave Baluchistan proportionate royalties from 10 years back. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's budget had also doubled as a result of the NFC Award.

Bushra Gohar, Senior Vice-President of ANP, congratulated the parliamentary committee for the passage of the 18th Amendment and said that she agreed with Senator Haji Adeel and believed that there was an effort in Islamabad to reverse the 18th amendment. She believed that some people were afraid of strong units and were bent upon rolling back the progress made. She further said that donors were also responsible for lack of federalism and they preferred to go to the strong central government rather than dealing with the governments in the provinces. She said that the CCI should be consulted before legislation is passed and an effort should be made to ensure Local Government elections in FATA.

Senator Raza Rabanni sharing his thoughts with the audience began by expressing his gratitude to the CCE and the UNDP for organizing the events. He said that he found it necessary to point out some things for clarification. He disagreed with some participants who perceive a relationship between the 18th Amendment and terrorism. Terrorism is a separate phenomenon that is finding space die to denial of rights and diluted governance. He said that the 18th Amendment is about devolution, diversity and recognizing Pakistan as a multi-national state. The 18th Amendment is taking Pakistan back to its roots as a Federation. He said that he agreed with Dr. Farooq Sattar who had said that too little has been done too soon and criticised some international donors such as The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund who have said that the 18th Amendment has done too much, too soon. He asserted that they are attempting to dictate to Pakistan's national agenda which is unacceptable. He went on to say that it is not just the donors who must be held responsible but the greatest resistance has come from those quarters which stand to lose financially from the 18th Amendment. He further said that the “germ of centrist mindset” still exists among some political leaders and they are not ready to accept provincial autonomy. Both Pakistanis and donors need to understand that the 18th Amendment has set back those nationalist insurgencies which are bent upon working outside the constitutional framework. Nationalist forces in Baluchistan sat down for talks for the 18th Amendment, at a risk for their lives but through it managed to provide an alternative to the paradigm of separatism. He referred to the 18th Amendment as the first step in the right direction and a means for showing these forces that, the parliament can be used to get your rights and armed struggle is not the answer. Senator Rabbani urged the elites of Islamabad in particular and of Pakistan in general, to ensure that the rollback of provincial autonomy does not take place.

Senator Rabbani reminded the audience that Pakistan was always intended to be a federation that would accommodate the diversity of the people of Pakistan. He asserted that a Pakistani national 8 Strengthening Participatory Federalism and Decentralization

identity will emerge through the blossoming of languages and cultures, and Pakistanis will have unity within diversity. He moved on to talk about education saying that curriculums should be made in provincial capitals rather than the national capital. He argued that the CCI is as important as the Prime Minister's Cabinet and should not become a dormant body.

Senator Rabbani also discussed the issue of 'capacity' and argued that provinces do in fact have the capacity to fulfill responsibilities of the portfolios assigned to them. He claimed that health and education have been “usurped” by the federal government and this must be corrected. He further highlighted his point that resistance towards devolution comes from those structures where financial interests are involved and as an example quoted the issue of Drug Regulatory Authority. He reminded the audience that the Drug Regulatory Authority had been created under the 18th amendment but an Statutory Regulation Order (SRO) was issued by the Federal Health Ministry to curtail the powers of the Chief Executive Officer of the Drug Regulatory Authority and the Director General Health. It has given the powers to give licences to 18 and 19 Grade Officers. In only 3-4 days over 40 new licences were issued to new companies and many more for the manufacturing of new drugs by existing companies. Senator Rabbani said that by quoting this example he wishes to strengthen his argument and draw attention to it.

He summed up his speech by admitting that the 18th Amendment has its flaws, but urging the participants to realize that it has brought about nothing short of an “administrative revolution” and so problems are bound to exist. He warned that these problems should not be used as an excuse to roll back the progress made.

Reflection on Perspective of the Political Parties

Dr. Muhammad Waseem, professor of Political Science at Department of Social Sciences, at University of Management Sciences summed up the day's proceedings and made concluding comments. Dr. Waseem called the dialogue “a great learning experience for political scientists”. He said that while political parties had discussed the grievances of smaller provinces at length, representatives from Punjab could not be present to share their fears and respond to the criticism laid. He said that today's proceedings showed a real concern for the devastating impact of terrorism which is shared by all the political parties present. Energy was also talked about at great length along with issues of financial and economic devolution. The participants today had expressed a general sense of disappointment with the implementation of the 18th Amendment. He said that it was interesting to note, that the three provinces who had strongly demanded for the 18th Amendment i.e Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Baluchistan were the ones whose political leadership appears to be most disappointed.

Dr. Waseem said that there is a strong demand for a new contract addressed to Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insaf and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, championing the cause of provincial autonomy. He added that the fears for the reversal of the 18th Amendment are real, as the Pakistan Muslim League-N is dominated by Punjabis. He pointed out that the issue of minorities within minorities has not been discussed today. The provincial autonomy brought by the 18th Amendment has left secondary communities such as the Saraikis and the Hazaras alienated. Finally, he said, the issue of Local Government has not been sufficiently addressed by the 18th Amendment. The time available for discussion was short but a few comments were put forth in the time that was left. The Vice Chancellor of the University of Gujrat Dr. Nizamuddin said that Local Government is a

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real issue and Mayors are needed in each Union Council. Bushra Gohar added that Local Government should be party based. Senator Raza Rabanni, in an answer to a question said that contrary to popular speculation there had been no pressure on the parliamentary committee drafting the 18th Amendment by any individual or any institution.

Mr. Zafarullah thanked the participants for their valuable contribution to the dialogue and for making the event a great success.

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Dialogue on Future of Federalism and Democratic Devolution List of Participants

Politicians:

1. Senator Mian Raza Rabbani, Pakistan People's Party 2. Senator Haji Muhammad Adeel, Awami National Party 3. Nafeesa Inayatullah Khatak, MNA, Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf 4. Shahnaz Wazir Ali, Pakistan People's Party 5. Usman Khan Kakar, Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party 6. Taj Haider, Pakistan People's Party 7. Shaukat Ali Yousafzai, Minister for Health, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 8. Ajmal Khan Wazir, Pakistan Muslim League 9. Bushra Goher, Awami National Party 10. Dr. Muhammad Farooq Sattar, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) 11. Dr. Ishaque Baloch, National Party 12. Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli, 13. Jan Achakzai, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (F) 14. Ali Muhammad Khan, MNA, Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf 15. Sheheryar Afridi, MNA, Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf 16. Mujeeb ur Rehman, Member Balochistan Assembly

Civil Society:

17. Mazhar Arif, Society for Alternative Media and Research 18. Azhar Lashari, Rural Development Policy Institute 19. Fayyaz Baqi, Akhter Hameed Khan Resource Center 20. Ahmad Mehmood Zahid, former Secretary Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination 21. Kashif Suhail Malik, International Islamic University, Islamabad 22. Zartasha Niazi, Society for Alternative Media and Research 23. Dr. Khadim Hussain, Baccha Khan Trust Education Foundation 24. Ammara Durrani, Search for Common Ground, Pakistan

International

25. Marc-Andre Franche (UNDP) 26. Amjad Bhatti (UNDP) 27. Hashim Zaidi (UNDP) 28. Andrew Mackee, Australian High Commission 29. Kristof Duwaerts, Hanns Seidel Foundation 30. Catherine Isabel Froehling, German Development Cooperation 31. Terja Barstad, Royal Norwegian Embassy 32. Jannicke Graatrud, Royal Norwegian Embassy 33. Suzanne De Groot, Royal Netherlands Embassy 34. Frans Van Rijn, Royal Netherlands Embassy 35. Ryohei Kasai, Japanese Embassy 36. Wajih Abbas, Embassy of Japan 37. G. Gottlieb, USAID 38. Franklin De Urieze, United Nations Development Program

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39. Torsum Khan, UNDP 40. Emanuel Khurshid, Forum of Federations

Academia:

41. Dr. Muhammad Waseem, Lahore University of Management Sciences 42. Dr. Nizamuddin, Vice Chancellor, University of Gujrat 43. Dr. Syed Jaffar Ahmed, 44. Asma Faiz, Lahore University of Management Sciences 45. Nasim Ahmed, University of Gujrat 46. Sidra Maqsood, University of Gujrat 47. Fauzia Maqsood, University of Gujrat 48. Prof. Syed Shabbir Shah, University of Gujrat 49. Dr. Muhammad Mushtaq, University of Gujrat 50. Dr. Rashid Ahmed Khan, University of Sergodha 51. Dr. Ghulam Ali 52. Dr. Syed Farooq

Media and citizens:

53. Murtaza Solangi 54. Shafqat Aziz 55. Arsalan Ali Khan 56. Meraj ul Haq 57. Tariq Siddiqui 58. M. Rasul 59. Adnan-ul Hassan 60. Mr. Iftikhar, 61. Irfan Mehboob 62. Raja Abid 63. Raja Tariq 64. Tariq Bhatti 65. Iffat Bukhari 66. Afraisiab Khan 67. M. Arsalan Haider 68. Liaqat Amin

12 UNDP is the UN's global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge experience and resources to help a better life. We are on the ground in 166 countries, working with them on their own solutions to global and national development challenges, as they develop local capacity, they draw on the people of UNDP and our wide range of partners.

Centre for Civic Education Pakistan is an independent educational institution that works to cultivate civic culture. The Centre is not-for-profit and a non-partisan initiative. The Centre undertakes policy research, offers training courses and facilitates debate and dialogue. Its programs focus on fundamental rights and spirit of the Constitution, democratic development, tradition and institutions in Pakistan.

These efforts are aimed at encouraging critical and creative ways of thinking and stimulating civic activism to promote pluralism, rule of law and good governance. http:// www.civiceducation.org

Federalism and Decentralization in Pakistan The Centre for Civic Education in Pakistan (CCEP), as part of UNDP's project “Strengthening Participatory Federalism and Decentralization” is working towards generating knowledge products and to arrange learning events about Pakistani federalism through dialogues, research and training.

The CCEP will contribute towards this goal through the development of a course on Federalism for universities, organization of a consultation with stakeholders on Right to Information, working towards educating the common persons/citizens about critical aspects of governance and political issues by publishing articles on 'Citizens Wire' in both English and , organizing a dialogue with political parties and other stakeholders on the issue of federalism and devolved governance following the passage of the 18th Amendment. Finally the resource manuals on Council of Common Interests (CCI) and on operationalization of provincial autonomy would be developed to help in clarifying the changed roles/responsibilities of provincial and federal administrations following the 18th Amendment.