Towards a new NFC award.

Stashing provincial shares without amending Constitution The army has either taken out theterrorists or made them flee. But it is yet to complete the costlyfencing of the Durand Line.

What's more it is keen to cover what it perceives as its vulnerabilities in defence requirements against India. Funds are needed for the development oftribal areas of erstwhile FATA and also for Gilgit Baltistan and AJK.

The demand to rebalance the consolidated share of provinces and the center has also come from the IMF. The government could raise funds by tapping three sources.

It could improve the performance of the FBR and enlarge the tax net by including the big trading community and thousands of those who make multiple foreign trips every year, possess costly cars and live in upscale localitiesbut fail to pay taxes. Political exigencies stood in the way of PML-N government to take the course as they do nowin the case of the PTI administration.

Instead of getting rid of the white elephants like thePSMalong with at least 35 other public sector entities, PTIwent for a nebulous scheme to revive the PSM fearing a loss of popularity if it went for privatisation. Lack of capacity is...