TOPIC NUMBER 9 - ORGANIZATION OF PROVINCIAL AND LOCAL

GOVERNMENT
Governance Structure of Provincial Administration :
A province is almost always an administrative division, within
a country or state.
Pakistan's four provinces enjoy considerable autonomy. Each province has
a governor, a Council of Ministers headed by a chief minister appointed by
the governor, and a provincial assembly.
Provincial assemblies also have reserved seats for minorities. Although
there is a well-defined division of responsibilities between federal and
provincial governments.
Most of the services in areas such as health, education, agriculture, and
roads, for example, are provided by the provincial governments. Although
the federal government can also legislate in these areas, it only makes
national policy and handles international aspects of those services.
Organization of Provincial Secretariat :
The work procedures of a provincial government in Pakistan are in many
ways similar to those at centre. There are provincial secretariat attached
offices. The working of these organizations is similar as that of federal
organizations with some modifications and adjustments.
Chief Minister :
At the apex of the province is Chief Minister, whose chief staff is the Chief
Secretary. CM is the head of provincial cabinet and controller of provincial
ministries.
Chief Secretary :
He is the senior civil servant and is the official head of the provincial
secretariat. To enable him to perform his functions properly, there is a
secretary in every department, then additional secretary, deputy
secretary and section officer.
Organization and Functions of Provincial Authorities and Agencies
and their Relationship with Government Departments :
Local authorities of government in Pakistan, are established to resolve the
political, administrative and financial responsibility and authority to the
elected representative at grass root level.
The members of Local authorities are elected directly through vote from
their respective constituencies.

Local authoritys representatives have wide-range of responsibilities and

functions of public development programmes at local level. Local
authorities has responsibility to :
Measures to improve public health, regulation of Water supply, regulation
of drainage and sewerage, disposal of solid waste, regulation of private
markets established for the sale of articles of food or drink or animals,
policies regarding animals and cattle, promotion of local level education
especially primary education, public safety programs like maintenance of
fire-fighting or civil defence, town planning, building control, provision and
maintenance of public streets and other means of public communication,
regulation of traffic and public vehicles and plantation and protection of
trees.
Govt Depts :
Multi tier system is considered the best device to manage governmental
affairs in modern state systems.
The objective is to ensure political participation, equal distribution of
resources.
Local government institution is efficiently operating in Pakistan since its
emergence. However, some time it confronted with serious crisis.
However, Constructive political, economic and working relations are
prerequisite for excellent functioning of these institutions.
Post - Devolution Local Governance :
The 2001 Local Government Ordinance provides for devolution of
government to district administrations.
At the door step of twenty first century the government reformed the
Local Government System and introduced major changes.
The objectives of these changes were :
(i)
(ii)
(iii)

To give more autonomy and more functions to local governments.

To increase efficiency in the provision of a number of public
goods and services.
To enhance local democracy. Under the system government
introduced major changes. Urban and Rural councils were
amalgamated in a single unit.

Three tiers District Government, Tehsil Council and Union Council are
introduced.
Devolution Plan 2000 endowed local government with more autonomy and
more powers.
The institutions suffered from lack of proper arrangement of intra local
government and inter government relations.

Local Governance means Building stronger communities. Institutions

play an important role in establishing the local government system.
The basic services for citizens are provided by local governments.
Basically, their aim is to improve their capacity and ability to become
better administrators. Through local governance government can promote
peace and reconciliation at the local level. They can avoid conflict and
promote trust into programs and services.
Local government system is very important for the establishment of
democracy at grass-root level.

Organization and Functions of District Government and

Administration :
By Local Governance Body, It was a plan to transfer the evolution of
power and responsibility to the grass roots level. Because it was an
important factor of good governance to provide justice.
Tier No # 1 : The District Government
A district government consisting of Administrator and District
Administration.
(i) The District Government consisted of the Zila Nazim and District
Administration.
(ii)
The District Coordination Officer was appointed by the
Provincial Government.
(iii)
The Zila Nazim was accountable to the people through the
elected members of the Zila Council.
(iv)

A Zila Council consisted of all Union Nazims in the District.

(v)

The Zila Council had its Secretariat under the Naib Zila Nazim.

(vi)
The new System also efficiently addressed the specific needs
and problems of large cities.
Tier No # 2 : Tehsil Administration
Tehsil Municipal Administration headed by the Tehsil Nazim.
Tehsil Municipal Administration consists of a
Tehsil Nazim
Tehsil Municipal Officer
Tehsil Officers
Chief Officers

Tier No # 3 : Union Administration

The lowest tier, the Union Administration was a corporate body
covering the rural as well as urban areas across the whole District.
It consisted of Union Nazim, Naib Union Nazim and three Union
Secretaries.
The Union Nazim is the head of the Union Administration and the
Naib Union Nazim acted as deputy to the Union Nazim during his
temporary absence.
Organization and Structure of City District Government :
By Local Governance Body, The main purpose of that act was to
strengthen the common elected man and transfer the power to the grassroots level.
Devolution Power Plan was presented by Pervez Musharraf In 2000. This
was the policy for the reconstruction of Local Government. It was a plan to
transfer the Devolution of Power and Responsibility to the grass root
level. The basic principle of the Devolution Plan was that Local
Government would function clearly within the provincial framework.
For Example :
A lot of work has been done in Karachi during Musharrafs tenure when
most of the projects were proposed and approved.

Issues and Challenges of Local Governance :

The regime of Gen. Pervez Musharaf, introduced the local government
system. This system of local government was implemented on August 14,
2001.
The essence of introducing the local government was to strengthen the
people at lower level and to transfer power from representatives to the
masses. The system of local government was projected to solve peoples
problem at the local level, allow public involvement in decision-making
and make sure the provision of speedy justice.

The main purpose of this system was that the local governments would be
accountable to the citizens for all their decisions. It would allow the
proactive elements of society to participate in community work,
development related activities and would remove rural-urban divide.
Its mission was to establish the real democracy in the country with the
help of reconstructing the institutions of state.
Pakistan faces an acute governance problem not only because its
system of governance is outdated, or because it has only two tiers
of government instead of the complete three (national, subnational/provincial, local), but also because it faces post-modern
threats and problems while it remains equipped with pre-modern,
20th century tools at its disposal to deal with such threats and
problems.
politicians and political leaders in Pakistan do not understand is that
local government systems whether uniform in a nationwide or
province-wide sense, or unique to each district are the very
systems which extent the writ of the state, the presence of the
government and the real-life implementation of law and policy to
the citizens of the country, and especially to the marginalized
constituents of society, who live in backward, rural areas, and who
have no access to state facilities and have an extremely poor
standard of living.
These are only a few ways in which even provincially-unique local
government systems can start addressing the problems faced by
the people of Pakistan, with the adequate support of the provincial
government in terms of resources and legislation, and of the
national government in terms of guaranteeing federal support as
and when required for the particular case of a district.
Major Changed Happened After 17th and 18th Constitution
Amendments :
In order to secure and strengthen the local government system and avoid
drastic changes therein, a new article 140A was added to the Constitution
of Pakistan through the seventeenth amendment. By virtue of that
addition, it was provided that each province shall, by law, establish a local
government ordinance, 2001 system of local government and devolve
political, administrative and financial responsibility and authority to the
elected representatives of the local governments.
This provision was supplemented by adding another provision through the
eighteenth amendment to the constitution, to the effect that the future
elections of local governments shall be conducted by the Election
Commission of Pakistan instead of Provincial Election Commissions.

Furthermore, there was hidden jealousy amongst national and provincial

legislators who were against the devolution of their powers, particularly in
development work to the local governments.
Democracy cannot function efficiently with the absence of effective local bodies.
Other Problems Are :

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

Political.
Constitutional.
Administrative.
Operational Functional.
Financial.