Saving Pakistan with the Constitution Zeemax: Your question is a lot more complicated then you realise..

firstly you have to define what constitutes an NFC ``award`` (is it all taxes, certain taxes or certain specific federal taxes because right now its a mish mash)..secondly you have to define the taxation powers of the federal gov, provincial governments and finally the local governments and how they are collected. Next you have to consider to which constituent units receive the NFC award (presently FATA and the northern areas get nothing). Lastly you have to understand the riddle of provincial borrowing from 1973-2006.. till a few years ago if the federal government defaulted on royalty payments for whatever reason to any of the provinces the provincial government (more so if they were in the hands of an opposition party) were ina quandry how do they keep running without any money..well the same defaulting federal government would then step in and offer an extortionate loan to cover that financial space..now this did not hit those provinces with more diverse taxation sources like sindh and punjab as hard as Balochistan and NWFP which are dependant to the extent of 70-90% of their budget on federal government transfers.

Once you untangle all those problems ..only then can you answer the question of what is the criteria for an NFC award..the correct answer in any successful federal system from the US, to India is that poverty should be the key criteria.

Saving Pakistan with the Constitution The present NFC is something I`ve read quite a bit about..basically Pakistan has one of the most overcentralised federal constitutions i know about..realistically it has more in common with Yugoslavia than anything else..if one looks at the way provinces are demarcated and the complicated ethnic make up.

The 1973 constitution was a stop gap arrangement..ultimately it was hoped that a constitution would also serve as a check on ZAB`s fondness for being a CMLA or the presidential form of government..sadly that did not prove to be the case because in the end as Zia said the constitution is just a piece of paper ultimately..one has to accept the concept of the rule of law to respect a constitution..even a flawed one. Musharraf reaffirmed that when he made a fool of the MMA over the uniform issue.

As i`ve always said Pakistans real problem is not saving this constitution or the deployment of 100,000 troops in Baluchistan for that matter..its a simple moral question. Do you respect a system of law or don`t you?

HP is right when he speaks of the pashtuns being economically integrated in Pakistan..in a way unlike Sindhis and Baloch..but i digress with the key point behind that..while pashtuns may have a better share than the Baloch they are still relatively discriminated against within the system. One only has to look at the hydel royalty issue and look at Socio-economic stats of the poorest districts in Pakistan to appreciate that reality..add in the Balochistan and FATA pashtuns ..pashtuns ethnically would be in a close fight for the 2nd poorest ethnic group in Pakistan.

The Death of a Nawab So the Fauji Sardars killed a Baloch Sardar..i get that, but why are they saying its a victory for Paksitan?

Havelis of Pakistan Have you seen the Khans Klub in Peshawar it is a converted Sikh haveli.

People of Gilgit Baltistan: The Political Orphans The disenfranchisement of the people of the Northern area and to a lesser extent FATA is a terrible indictment of the political system in Pakistan. I read earlier on that the previous Minister for SAFRON (The Federal Minister in charge of the Northern areas) Faisal Saleh Hayat had been comparatively quite good. How is the new Minister doing?

I`ve always explained Pakistans real legal system quite simply. If you were to add all the areas of Pakistan not governmed by the normal legal system..(that would include much of Baluchistan, NWFP & Punjabs PATA ..provincially administered tribal areas, FATA and the Northern areas) the end result would be in total covered area almost half the country.

If you accept that fact, the other half of the country has a poorly funded, undermanned (the only government sector which isn`t overstaffed in Pakistan is the judicial sector!) and demoralised judicial system. What pray tell would be the end result?

Valentine Feroz: In a slightly complicated way you have essentially made the comments that:
The mainstream political parties have become marginalised or disconnected from the people (by their own or the establishments acts). This disconnection means that the average protest may in its self turn into out of control acts of violence.

There is off course a historical parallel to this, circa 1968 when a seemingly untouchable Ayub Khan, who had given the country double digit growth (which did not translate into double digit investment in education and health) and marginalised the opposition political parties, suddenly faced a mass outbreak of political unrest. These protests were triggered by a random act of police abritrariness and the whole cheenai chor charges against cabinet members. The difference is Pakistan is institutionally and governance wise far weaker than in the 1960`s. You are also right about the political vacuum, as we all know nature abhors a vacuum (physics 101), the beste xample of that is Waziristan, but it`s an accepted fact political vacuums create political polarisation.

If you break it down, people like Asghar Khan, Cowasjee et al are right our leaders never learn from history.

A Desi Dilemma Adam: I suspect the ANP will do very well in the next elections..it`s attracting a whole swathe of vote catchers in the run up to the election. Its supporters are charged and disgruntled workers are coming back into the fold.

A Desi Dilemma Nicely written, I am a bit disappointed by some of the stereotypical pseudo liberal interactors comments. The generalisation of pathans as paedophiles or gay I find quite offensive.

A Rant Against Reservations Sounds very patronising ..it`s like the whole she was raped because she deserved it argument...yes x,y,z people are poor in part because of a tribal/feudalistic/ideological baggage their society carries..but does that excuse those in positions of power abusing them? No...I have had two very different conversations about the quota system in India..one was witha Dalit girl who had suffered enormously because of the caste system and would never have gotten educated if it wasn`t for the quota system. The other was from a well educated upper caste Indian whose family had bet everything it had on one of their sons who in the end could not get into a job because of the quota system.

Hearing both sides and seeing Pakistans failed atempt at improving recruitment of groups like the Baloch and Sindhis through the quota system..I personally believe the system has its uses but in the end it`s a blunt instrument, that is only effective if a government tries to implement the spirit behind it..

The big question is..whats the alternative to the quota system?

A Rhyme For Fools -- 1 I agree with zeemax this article is jargon heavy and doesn`t break much in the sense of new ground (no offense meant as I am a frequent reader of ferozks work). I would like to make a few general points though..

fundamentally one has to realise Pakistans problems ( as a democrat) are not simply secular versus religion..there are multiple fault lines..sectarian and ethnic..at a democratic level there is the tendency of democratic groups to seek power through deal making or by blind subservience to the ruling class. Rather than seek political allies our culture has so developed that we seek alliances with whoever has the bigger stick and not with fellow politicians. The second is simple reciprococity (sp?)...this is basically common sense..it means that if one party is the largest elected you invite it to attempt to form a government ..irrespective of whether you like that decision or not..in return if the roles were reversed the other party does the same..the common sense extends to the law..yes parliament can pass a law declaring the earth flat..but common sense dictates it shouldn`t..so common sense says you dont declare it ok to extend the tenure of parliament because again thats wrong..lastly yes a leader can sign an agreement with an opposition and then break it..on the basis of his control over everything allows him to do so..but again common sense and human decency dictates he shouldnt...and lastly it is the hige divide between morality and legality in pakistan..unless that bridge is crossed the end result will not be pleasant.

\'Constitutionally\' Different Neighbours Everytime Pakistanis see another state pogrom of Muslims, sikhs and Christians in India I think they reassure themselves that while Jinnah made mistakes they prefer freedom in Pakistan over slavery in India!

Blaming the Army for everything in Pakistan is unfair post 1950 it was the civil service which dominated politics...it was the Ghulam Muhammads and Iskandier Mirzas all fine products of the ICS which messed up Pakistan and not the Army..

Proud Pakistani? Stharay ma shay khattak sayb...a lot of karachiwals are convinced anything outside karachi is another country so no surprises! jokes aside..the old corrupt system was remarkably efficient..i remember one top economist writer /..wrote once how he believed that if there was no corruption the pakistani administrative system would simply collapse under the weight of its own inefficiency.

Pak Armed Forces vs. Pakistan Some obvious comments..which Army of a stable country hasn`t killed more of it#s people than an invading Army? The US army in the US civil war has killed more Americans then have been killed in all foreign wars. More Indians have been killed at the hands of Indian security forces than at the hands of Pakistanis or Chinese. Secondly as a point of clarity Bizenjo was a self made man not a sardar..and someone please tell me what is the difference between Fauji Sardars who spend 80% of Pak revenue on defense and debt servicing and Baloch Sardars who spend 80% on AK 47`s and paying of gambling debts?

Perhaps the Baloch have misspent the trifle sum (unadjusted for inflation since 1955) they receive badly..but whats the fed government done?

The Frontier Corps in Balochistan is 33,000 strong and had only has 300 Baloch in it.
There are 584 FC check posts in Balochistan for a tiny population. The majority of governors of Baluchistan are non local imports..Need i go on?

Apostasy and Islam Conceptually in a religious state apostasy can be equated with the Nation states treason...as in both cases imply a rejection of the core belief system by an individual.

The Bubble Bursts #32: I would not disagree with that...but no matter how big the economic cake is if it`s not sliced fairly you will eventually have angry anarchists.

The Bubble Bursts The co-opting of the liberals by the Pak establishment this time around has left the initiative firmly in the hands of the right wingers. The depoliticisation of civil society has led to a leaderless mob in society..throw in the deceptive nature of economic facts and figures being tossed about along with high inflation and you have a recipe for disaster.