AN IMF mission, led by Iva Petrova, is arriving in Pakistan this week to assess progress under the $7 billion Extended Fund Facility and the $1.1 billion Resilience and Sustainability Facility.

During its two-week stay, it will review reform commitments, with particular focus on fiscal discipline and structural adjustments. Although provincial surpluses and a narrowing deficit point to improvement on paper, the larger question lies elsewhere. The real test is whether fiscal responsibility is being genuinely shared across the federation—or whether power and resources continue to be concentrated in a few provincial hands despite formal commitments to reform.

On paper, the task seems simple: raise revenue, rein in spending and reduce the deficit. Provinces have chipped in, producing cash surpluses that have helped federal targets and........

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