I’ve often surmised that Punjab as a province would suffer in some form from Musharraf’s focus on the Southern Provinces and Northern Punjabs Support for the PML (N) and MMA in the last elections. That’s why I found the Provincial budget projections for the next budget very interesting. It seems Punjab is the only province with a significant budget deficit. While NWFP and Baluchistan tend to suffer because of regular federal government defaults ( something that has stopped since Musharraf took over) Punjab is another matter.
**PUNJAB: The Punjab collected a total revenue of Rs60 billion and its total expenditure amounted to Rs74.5 billion. Of this, Rs44.5 billion share went to the federal revenue while its provincial taxes amounted to Rs7.9 billion. **
While middle class Punjab’s dominance will probably not be effected because of the strong Punjab over representation in the federal government, since the provincial government has control over education, health and law and order I imagine poverty rates will eventually increase and provincial debt will rise.
Pakistan has primarily four provinces... In terms of federal funding, if Punjab is suffering because it supported PML (N) and NWFP & Balochistan are suffering for supporting MMA... then it only leaves Sindh which is raking in the billions.
Or, perhaps, a more rational explanation is that on a national level there are less discretionary funds available to distribute between the provinces, so all are suffering to some extent.
They will just have to reduce the size of the government. You can't, or should not, spend more than you earn. Simple si baat hai.
Imdad: That's very true, Pakistan's bureaucracy is estimated to be 2.4 million strong with a large number of departments simply irrelevant or loss making.
Faisal: The MMA does not fall under an anti Army group....in case of the PML (N) the perception is very different it's leader tried to kill Pervaiz Musharraf so it is a very personal enmity. Also Nawaz Sharif focused federal government funding in that same belt from Peshawar to lahore. Essentially Urban Northern Punjab.
I am fairly certain this funding discrepancy will reflect in the growth in provincial poverty levels.
Problem is that bureacracy is considered more like a job agency. If these people are fired, they will add to the unemployment line and create other social problems.
The solution is to have programs to facilitate back-to-work for the unemployed, or effective measures to stimulate the economy to create more jobs. And when that is done, to streamline government departments and right-size based on the work load and the programs they are implementing.
None of that is present. Right now, its maximum emphasis to collect taxes and little, or no accountability, on how govt. deptts are spending tax-payers' monies.