Devolved not evolved

The final phase of the devolution process was completed on 1 July 2011 when the federal cabinet approved the transfer of seven ministries - health, environment, sports, food & agriculture, women development, labor & manpower, and minorities affairs, to the provincial government.
Although the government has declared 1 July to be "Provincial Autonomy Day", there is visible discontent among the provinces because of the partial devolution that has taken place.
Despite government claims to the contrary, Raza Rabbani, Chairman Eighteenth Amendment Implementation Commission, admitted during a recent press conference that the provinces still do not have maximum autonomy.
While the federal government has transferred machinery, staff and development projects, its notification is silent on the provisioning of funds and other technical aspects.
Moreover, out of 178 departments of ministries that had to be devolved, only 47 have been given to the provinces. A department of sports ministry is also among the departments that remain with the centre.
According to Raza Rabbani, 37,429 people would be affected due to devolution. A total of 4,253 employees of 10 ministries have been transferred to the provincial governments whereas the rest have been adjusted in ministries/divisions not being devolved. Not a single employee has been laid off.
The government may be credited for the efforts to control unemployment, but the method of forceful employment doesn seem to be the best solution.
The rationale behind the strange decision by the federal cabinet to not allow a reduction in the number of (cabinet) ministers remains unclear. According to critics, this political patronage needs to stop as it will just add to the federal expenditures. The allocation of human resources should be carefully planned and those with experience in particular services should be transferred to provinces by taking provinces on board.
Some employees should be kept at the federal level to deal with centralised needs. For example, coordination among federating units and liaison with international agencies - on subjects devolved (such as aid/loans on HEC, environmental and health projects) should remain in federal jurisdiction.
Some of the functions that were to be devolved have been transferred to federal divisions. This is against the spirit of devolution. Separating ownership and control may create accountability issues in these departments and their ability to dispatch services may be compromised.
It appears that political maneuvering to hold on to ministerial and secretarial portfolios has pushed the dissemination of services to the back seat, threatening the raison detre for devolution.
Glitches in the devolution process must be addressed through the Council of Common Interests (CCI). The dream of empowering the nation cannot become a reality unless full support is given to the provinces as they may not be prepared to handle the extra work.
Without full autonomy and funds from the federal government, it will be impossible to implement all plans. The federal government must step up to ensure the uninterrupted delivery of services while the provinces build capacity to take on their responsibilities.