A subcommittee of the Senate Functional Committee on Devolution has sought additional audit information about federal government expenditure on functions transferred to the provinces under the 18th Constitutional Amendment.
The panel met at Parliament House on 14 October 2026 under the convenorship of Senator Zamir Hussain Ghumro. According to the Senate’s official account, members reviewed spending on federal ministries, organisations and institutions operating in areas considered provincial responsibilities, alongside compliance reports from relevant departments.
Rs2.6 trillion figure questioned
Senator Ghumro questioned the constitutional basis of approximately Rs2.6 trillion in expenditure identified in documents relating to health and education ministries over the past 16 years. That figure and the criticism of the spending are the committee convener’s reported position; the meeting did not establish a final independent finding that the entire sum was unlawful.
Officials from the Auditor General of Pakistan explained that audits were based on allocations authorised through the parliamentary budget process and described limits to their audit coverage. The committee asked for fuller documentation to examine whether the spending complied with the constitutional division of responsibilities.
The panel also considered the role of the Council of Common Interests and questions surrounding proposed privatisation of electricity distribution companies.
Next steps
The committee instructed relevant officials to provide information in a prescribed format. Auditor General representatives said the requested data would be supplied within two weeks. The documents and any subsequent review will be important for determining the scope and legal treatment of the expenditure.
The 18th Amendment changed the distribution of powers between the federation and provinces. The precise legal status of individual federal programmes requires examination of constitutional provisions, statutory authority and budget approvals rather than inference from a headline spending total.
Sources: Senate of Pakistan official meeting account, 14 October; Dawn, 15 October.