Pakistan, June 18 -- The intensifying rift within the ruling coalition over the federal budget has laid bare the dysfunction at the heart of Pakistan's political establishment. As PML-N and PPP exchange barbs over development funds and tax measures, the country is once again forced to watch its leadership unravel when unity and clarity are most needed. But if the coalition's cracks are glaring, the opposition's silence is just as damning.

The PPP's public discontent is now unmistakable. Its lawmakers are accusing the federal government of sidelining Sindh, pointing to a development budget that grants Punjab Rs1.27 trillion compared to Sindh's Rs700 billion. These disparities strike at the spirit of federalism and stoke regional resentmen...