The Balochistan government recommended Mahfooz Ali Khan as its non-ex officio member in the commission. The president approved this nomination, superseding his earlier approval.

Last week, President Zardari constituted the 11th NFC to finalise a new resource distribution award, paving the way for a fresh showdown as the Centre seeks to reclaim lost fiscal space while the provinces prepare to defend their share.

The five-year term of the 10th commission expired last month. It had held only a few meetings before losing momentum, as the provinces saw little incentive to negotiate due to the likelihood of ceding fiscal space to the Centre.

Under the 7th NFC Award of 2010, the provincial share rose from 47.5% to 57.5% of the total federal divisible pool, without the provinces taking on addit

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