Proponents of administrative decentralization routinely attribute state failures to provincial incompetence, yet federal governance reveals an equally precarious structural deficit. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi recently remarked that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif works 14 to 16 hours a day, adding that if the surrounding administrative system were improved, the country’s governance outcomes could be dramatically better. There is nothing inherently flawed about a head of government maintaining a grueling schedule. In public administration, however, hours spent in briefings, inaugurations, and official engagements are not a proxy for effective governance.

Effective governance should ultimately be assessed by the functionality of constitutional institutions, the timeliness and quality of public decision-making, the effectiveness of federal-provincial coordination, the efficient and accountable use of public resources, and the state’s capacity to deliver measurable outcomes for citizens.

At its core, governance is an implicit social contract between the state and its people. Citizens pay taxes, from direct income levies to inflationary indirect taxes on basic goods, and in return, they deserve an efficient state that safeguards their fundamental constitutional rights, delivers quality public services, and manages public resources responsibly. Measured against these criteria, Pakistan’s federal government faces a profound institutional crisis.

Consider the Council of Common Interests (CCI), the primary constitutional mechanism designed to coordinate and balance relations within the federation. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif first assumed office in April 2022. By October 2026, over roughly 54 months spanning his two tenures, the Council has met a mere three times: its 50th meeting on August 5, 2023; its 51st on January 29, 2024; and its 52nd on........

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