Since its establishment in 1973, Pakistan’s constitution has undergone numerous revisions. Without a question, the Eighteenth Amendment has made a significant contribution to the resolution of numerous difficulties. Multi-order governance has undergone significant adjustments as a result of the 18th Amendment. Strengthening intergovernmental coordination and conflict resolution institutions is one. It also abolished shared federal-provincial powers and transferred some of them to the federation. Planning, industry, agriculture, and rural development, as well as social services and welfare have been devolved to the federal government. Local government functions and organizations have been renounced by the province. As a result, 17 ministries, including the ministries of food and agriculture, education, and health, have been dismantled. It also gives provinces new taxation rights, including a service sales tax with a dynamic and growing revenue base. The Amendment further increased provincial capital access by allowing them to borrow both domestically and internationally.

Describe the Effects of the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Amendments:

The amendment may, in theory, be a positive move toward better governance in a variety of ways. First, it may reduce the threat of military tyranny, allowing for the emergence of a fair and stable polity. Second, it has reduced provincial disagreement with federal policy by restricting excessive federal involvement. This has the potential to promote trust and coordination between the federal and provincial governments while also preventing succession movements fueled by federal multilateralism or military regime violence. Third, the Eighteenth Amendment has provided residents more clarity about which level of government to charge responsible for inadequate delivering services, by eliminating conflicting roles. Finally, and maybe most importantly, the Amendment has brought government actions closer to citizens. It has the potential to improve government responsiveness and accountability to citizens, as well as personalize public services to their specific needs and goals.

Connection with the Democracy:

The amendment lays the groundwork for future democratic rule and aims to thwart previous attempts to avoid the democratic system.

Civil Rights:

A limit was also imposed under which politicians might be used to promote sectarianism, racial hatred or hostility, regional hatred or enmity, and militancy. The Eighteenth Amendment explicitly abolished these limits.

Compensation to Deprived Classes and Provinces:

Minorities, will be awarded four reserved Senate seats in order to put written beliefs into action. Provinces that had been purposefully ignored by the center were intended to be restored when the amendment will be enforced.

Empowering Parliament, Senate:

The Parliament has been strengthened in other areas as well as having more legislative authority. The Senate’s standing has improved significantly in a number of areas. Because Senate represents all of the federation’s units, the opinions and goals of all of the Federation’s bases will have more opportunity to be fulfilled as Senate’s function expands.

Presidential Powers Curtailed:

Instead of the President exercising executive authority over the Federation, the Federal Government would do so in the name of the President. The president’s ability to dissolve the National Assembly has also been limited.

A Limit to Cabinet Members:

By allowing the expense of a considerable number of ministers who are solely in the cabinet to suit the government’s political needs to be deducted, limiting the number of cabinet members will minimize the load on the exchequer.

Caretaker Cabinet and Election Commission:

The caretaker Prime Minister and members of the caretaker government will run for election during the period in which they will be in office, which is a new arrangement that will reinforce the system’s impartiality. The Prime Minister will present three nominees to the parliamentary committee. They will conCompany one of the candidates after consulting with the opposition party in the National Assembly.

Criticism of the 18th Amendment:

Danger to Democracy!

The ‘safety valve’ of the president dissolving the National Assembly in an emergency has been removed, posing a new threat to democracy from within. It also means that a soft option for an enraged army chief is no longer available. Another point of view is that a political check on the president’s authority is required rather than a judicial review. A suitable mechanism was decided to be required at the federal level.

Political Parties!

Political party leaders now bear a tremendous deal of responsibility as a result of the Eighteenth Amendment. In truth, the President’s ability to remove the Prime Minister has been transferred to the leader of the leading party. The prime minister, like the opposition leader, would be tormented by the party managers’ authority to recall members or go against the party line. Even during the amending process, the importance of a few party leaders in comparison to other members of the party and parliament could be seen. In drafting the amendment, lawmakers would have to do less work than the few permitted of the parliamentary committee.

Concurrent List!

An interesting paradox has risen from the abolition of all items from the list of legislative subjects present in the Fourth Schedule to the constitution. The legislative subjects mentioned therein previously fell under the mandate of both: center and provinces. The Eighteenth Amendment will result in numerous challenges for the state, since it has made the provinces, the sole autonomous power on those subjects revoking the previous mandate of the Federal government.

Appointment of Judiciary!

The individual chosen by the judicial panel and ratified by the parliamentary committee will be appointed by the president. The key concern, as some top legal experts have pointed out, is that the process of appointing judges would be politicized, both in terms of recommendation and acceptance. A judge would have to overcome two obstacles: one in the judicial commission and the other in the parliamentary body.

Conclusion:

All in all, Pakistan’s Eighteenth Amendment is a defining point in its constitutional history. A consensus has been reached to increase the strength of the federation’s units in order to increase the federation’s impact. The Parliament now possesses more power than it ever has before. There have been some controversies, which are typical in democratic decisions, but greater benefits will emerge.