Published on, Aug. 23 -- August 23, 2025 12:40 AM

International signalling has turned favourable, too. In mid-August 2025, Washington publicly flagged interest in partnering with Pakistan on critical minerals and hydrocarbons-explicitly referencing investment opportunities and Balochistan's Reko Diq context. This dovetails with broader U.S. and allied efforts to diversify critical minerals supply chains. For Pakistan, that is an opening to mobilise capital and technology precisely where provincial and federal competencies intersect-and where the 18th Amendment requires smart coordination rather than zero-sum politics.

So how is the federation "suffering" while provinces post surpluses? First, vertical imbalance: the centre retains respo...