Of all the amendments made to the Constitution of Pakistan, the 18th Amendment passed in April 2010 is arguably the most important amendment with the most far-reaching consequences. It restored the parliamentary character of the Constitution, redefined the Parliament–judiciary relationship by proposing parliamentary oversight on high judicial appointments and devolved several important functions to Provincial Governments. This decentralization of responsibility and authority provided the context in which various institutional actors renegotiated their roles in a contested space during the years since the Amendment. However, implementation has been quite a challenge in the face of covert and overt opposition from the federal bureaucracy, which is characteristically averse to any transfer of resources and authority. This article is a critical examination of the Amendment and its implementation to understand the nature and extent of devolution of authority resulting therefrom.

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巴基斯坦的权力下放经验：第 18 条宪法修正案

在巴基斯坦宪法的所有修正案中，2010 年 4 月通过的第 18 修正案可以说是最重要、影响最深远的修正案。它恢复了宪法的议会性质，通过提议议会对高级司法任命进行监督，重新定义了议会与司法的关系，并将几项重要职能下放给了省政府。这种责任和权力的分散提供了一个背景，即在修正案以来的几年里，各种机构参与者在一个有争议的空间中重新谈判他们的角色。然而，面对联邦官僚机构的隐蔽和公开反对，实施一直是一个相当大的挑战，联邦官僚机构的特点是反对任何资源和权力的转移。