Provinces ‘misusing’ 18th amendment, claims Qaiser

KARACHI: Federal Minister for Board of Investment Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh has claimed that the provinces are misusing the 18th Amendment and none of them have devolved powers to the grassroots level. Addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club on Saturday, the federal minister said that no government in the country has been able to increase exports. He said that currently 110 to 120 million people in the country have fallen below the poverty line. He alleged that all chief ministers are misusing the 18th Amendment and after getting powers under the amendment, the provinces have not transferred them to the lower level. Sheikh said the situation in Sindh and Punjab is similar, adding that over the last 27 years, different political parties got a chance to govern, but the country could not progress. He also criticized the bureaucratic system, saying that after political governments come to power, bureaucrats form their own groups, and their training is limited to finding faults in projects instead of facilitating them. The federal minister informed that during the past one year, USD2. 5 billion in foreign investment has come to Pakistan, and the United States has assured further investment. He said Saudi Arabia intends to invest in the refinery sector while China intends to invest in the minerals sector. Commenting on the economic situation, he said the country is facing many challenges and oil prices are rising. He said his ministry is working to improve regulation and that while Pakistan’s voice is being heard at the diplomatic level, much work needs to be done at the economic level. He noted that India’s defence budget is very high, and praised the work done by Pakistan’s forces. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026

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