Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti on Thursday issued a detailed clarification on the constitutional limits governing the size of provincial and federal cabinets and the defined responsibilities of parliamentary secretaries, underscoring that the 18th Amendment has significantly reshaped governance structures across the country.
Speaking during the Balochistan Assembly session, the chief minister noted that before the 18th Amendment, all 62 members of the provincial assembly had previously served as ministers at various times, a practice that is no longer constitutionally possible. Under Article 130(6), he said, the size of the Balochistan cabinet is legally restricted to 15 members or 11 per cent of the assembly, whichever is higher. Similar limits apply to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while Sindh’s cabinet cannot exceed 19 members. At the federal level, Article 92 caps the size of the cabinet at 49.
Bugti said these constitutional ceilings were introduced to promote efficiency, discourage political patronage and ensure that executive authority remains streamlined. He emphasised that the distinction between ministers and parliamentary secretaries must be clearly understood, particularly in the context of administrative authority and policymaking.
Responding to a question from Leader of the Opposition Younis Zehri of JUI-F, the chief minister clarified that parliamentary secretaries do not possess any signing authority, nor can they issue policy directives. Their role, he said, is restricted to assisting ministers during assembly sessions, managing departmental queries and supporting the chief minister during question hour. “The minister remains the head of the department and retains full executive powers,” he said, adding that parliamentary secretaries operate strictly within the legislative framework.
Bugti said that appointing parliamentary secretaries is the prerogative of the chief minister and that offices had been provided to facilitate their parliamentary responsibilities, not to grant them executive control. He stressed that the government was committed to maintaining constitutional discipline in administrative matters.
In a separate meeting earlier in the day, the chief minister also approved the establishment of a Special Endowment Fund for the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus (WPC) Balochistan. However, the dominant focus of the assembly session remained the legal framework governing cabinet formation and the boundaries of authority for parliamentary secretaries — an issue that has recently come under debate within the provincial legislature.
