Islamabad, June 22, 2026: The Sub-Committee of the Senate Functional Committee on Devolution met today under the convenorship of Senator Zamir Hussain Ghumro to review laws, rules, and the ESTA Code relating to the implementation of Article 38(g) of the Constitution and to examine mechanisms to ensure its effective enforcement in the true letter and spirit. The Committee also reviewed the representation of provinces on the Boards of Directors of natural gas, oil, and other public entities to ensure equal and joint control by the Federal Government and the provinces, in accordance with constitutional provisions under Article 172(3) of the Constitution.
The meeting was attended by Senator Poojo Bheel, while Senator Jan Muhammad participated as a special invitee.
During the meeting, the Convenor recalled that in the previous meeting, the Committee had sought a detailed presentation regarding the number of employees working in various Ministries and Divisions and the criteria adopted for their recruitment and appointments. Officials briefed the Committee on the relevant data and procedures about the province-wise distribution of employees serving in the Federal Secretariat, Attached Departments, Subordinate Offices, Civil Armed Forces and Constitutional Bodies.
Moreover, Officials apprised the Committee that out of 13,133 employees in the Federal Secretariat, 8,828 belonged to Punjab (including Islamabad), 1,490 to Sindh, 1,796 to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 379 to Balochistan, 366 to Azad Jammu and Kashmir, 128 to Gilgit-Baltistan and 146 to the erstwhile FATA. The Committee reviewed the provincial representation in federal institutions and sought further details regarding the criteria and mechanisms governing appointments and recruitment in various Ministries and Divisions.
Further, referring to Article 38(g) of the Constitution, the Convener observed that the existing population-based criteria had not ensured equitable representation of all provinces in federal services. He directed the Establishment Division to submit, within one week, a comprehensive report on provincial representation, vacant posts and the basis for determining provincial shares in federal institutions, along with proposals to address disparities and ensure effective implementation of the constitutional provisions. The Establishment division undertook that they will devise effective mechanism to fill vacant positions of the provinces and present such plan with clear time lines to the Committee in a week
Meanwhile, the Committee was also informed that 3,384 posts allocated to Balochistan were currently lying vacant. The Convener directed the officials to provide a comprehensive province-wise breakdown of all vacant posts across federal institutions. The Committee further instructed the relevant authorities to submit a detailed report within one week, highlighting vacancies and proposing measures to ensure fair representation of all provinces in federal services.
The Committee also received a briefing from the Petroleum Division regarding the composition of the Boards of Directors of oil and gas companies and corporations. During the discussion, the Convener observed that while representatives of both the Federal Government and the provinces could be appointed to the boards, key producing provinces remained inadequately represented. He noted that a substantial share of the country’s oil and gas resources, particularly through Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL), originated from Sindh and Balochistan, yet these provinces did not have commensurate representation on the Board.
Additionally, the Convenor emphasized that Article 172 of the Constitution envisages equal participation of the Federation and the provinces in matters relating to natural oil and gas and stressed that board compositions should fully reflect this constitutional principle. He further observed that oil and gas companies should ensure equitable representation of both the Federal Government and the provinces, particularly those contributing significantly to the country’s natural oil and gas. Ministry of Petroleum undertook to initiate correspondence with Provinces regarding their representation of provinces in boards of oil and gas companies as well as their issue of their equal shares.
The Convenor directed the officials to review the existing composition of the boards and ensure that provincial shareholding and representation are adequately reflected, in line with constitutional provisions governing the management and control of natural Oil and gas.
