[Document title]Chap# 3: Administrative Structure of Pakistan and Good Governance

Key Terms:
Parliament:
The Parliament of Pakistan is the federal and supreme legislative body of Pakistan. It is a
bicameral federal legislature that consists of the Senate as the upper house and the National
Assembly as the lower house.
National Assembly:
The National Assembly is the lower legislative house of the bicameral Parliament of
Pakistan, which also comprises the Senate of Pakistan.
The National Assembly is a democratically elected body consisting of a total of 342 members
who are referred to as Members of the National Assembly (MNAs), of which 272 are directly
elected members and 70 reserved seats for women and religious minorities from all over the
country.
Senate:
Senate of Pakistan is the Upper House of the Parliament. Being the House of the Federation,
the Senate of Pakistan gives equal representation to all the federating units in order to
promote national cohesion and harmony by counterbalancing the numerical disparity among
provinces in the National Assembly. Senate of Pakistan is a permanent House, which
symbolizes a process of continuity in the national affairs.
There are 100 seats in senate of Pakistan. Before Senate Elections March 3, 2021, it was 104.
It will further reduce to 96 after next senate elections of Pakistan due to FATA merger 8
seats. Next election of Senate is expected in March, 2024.
Bureaucracy:
The term bureaucracy refers to a body of non-elected governing officials as well as to an
administrative policy-making group. Historically, a bureaucracy was a government
administration managed by departments staffed with non-elected officials.
An example of a bureaucracy:
Common examples of bureaucracy include government agencies, large corporations, and the
military. Each of these organizations has a hierarchical structure, division of labor, written
rules and regulations, and formalized decision-making.
Legislative Council:
The Legislative Council makes laws, reviews government legislation and performance, and
debates matters of public interest.
Basic Democracies:
Ayub Khan introduced the system of “basic democracies” in 1960. It consisted of a network
of local self-governing bodies to provide a link between the government and the people.
Primary governing units were set up to conduct local affairs.

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These basic Democrats were basically democratically elected public representatives who
served in the Divisional, District, Tehsil or Union councils.
SLO # 3.1: Functions of Federal and Provincial Governments
3.1.1: Discuss the distribution of power with reference to 1973 Constitution [defense,
foreign policy, finance, health, sanitation, education and tourism];

Power distribution of power with reference to

1973 Constitution
Defence Federal
Foreign Policy Federal
Finance Federal
Sanitation Provincial
Health Provincial
Education Provincial
Federal (Higher Education)
Tourism Provincial

3.2: Local Governments in Pakistan

3.2.1: Explain the concept of local self-government;
Local Self Government:
Local self-government means that residents in towns, villages and rural settlements are the
hosts in their own home. People elect local councils and their heads authorising them to solve
the most important issues.
 a government formed at the local level by the local people themselves.
management of the local affairs by the people of a locality.

Why self-government is important?

A government of local people can better understand and address local issues
provides the opportunity for communities to participate in the conduct of public affairs.
helps in the effective use of local resources.
Local representatives can have a better idea about local resources, issues, and their
solutions.
gives people access to local authorities and convey their complaints to their
representatives directly.
Responsibilities of Local Government:
 Dealing with issues related to cleanliness, epidemics and garbage disposal.
● Planning, development and maintenance of rainwater drain.
● Regulation of hospitals, dispensaries and other basic health care units.
● Registration, record keeping, and certificate issuing of births, deaths, marriages.
● Supply of clean drinking water and maintenance of the drainage system.
● Development and maintenance of public parks and other recreational facilities.

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3.2.2: Critique the local government systems introduced by the military rulers Ayub
Khan, Zia-ul-Haq and Pervez Musharraf:
Structure of the Basic Democracies System 1959:
Basic Democracies 1959 was a four-tiered Local Government System introduced by Ayub
Khan in 1959. The four tiers included Union Council, Tehsil Council, District Council, and
Divisional Council.
The Union Council (UC):
UC was the basic and lowest tier of the system. On average there were 15 union councilors
representing different villages in each union council. Along with these public representatives,
there was an equal number of officials in each union council. The head of the council was
Tehsildar.
Tehsil Council:
Like the Union Council, Tehsil Council also had an equal number of officials and non-
official members. Official members included officials of the Tehsil administration whereas
non-officials included chairmen of all UCs within the Tehsil. Deputy Commissioner headed
the council.
District Council also contained an equal number of official and non-official members.
members included officials of the district administration whereas non-officials included
chairmen of all Tehsil Councils within the district. Deputy Commissioner headed the council.
Divisional Council:
Divisional Commissioner headed the Divisional Council. Like all other lower tiers,
Divisional Council too contained an equal number of official and non-official members. The
official members at the Divisional level acted as official members whereas the chairmen of
Tehsil Councils were the non-official members.
Critique of Basic Democracies System 1959:
The following lines provide a balanced critique of the Basic Democracies System 1959 in
terms of its advantages and disadvantages and impact on society.
Merits of the Basic Democracies System:
1. First ever reforms at the local level The introduction of the Basic Democracies System was
the first attempt to reform local administration after independence. Previous governments did
not pay any attention to this direction. They had even failed in making a federal government
through a proper political administration after independence. Previous governments did not
pay any attention to this direction. They had even failed in making a federal government
through a proper political process as per its definition in the law.
2. Public Involvement in politics:
Before independence people never played their role in the election of their representatives.
With the introduction of the Basic Democracies System, Ayub Khan provided an opportunity

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for the people to choose their representatives thus contributing to a political change process at
the local level.
3. Undertaking of developmental work:
Powers were devolved down to the village level to plan and execute developmental work thus
practically impacting the lives of the people.
Demerits of the Basic Democracies System 1959:
1. The system was bureaucratic in nature.
The Basic Democracies system1959 was aimed at devolving power to locally elected public
representatives called Basic Democrats but they did not enjoy real decision-making powers.
The government officials i.e. Tehsildar, Assistant Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, and
Divisional Commissioner acted as heads of Union, Tehsil, District, and Divisional Councils
respectively. As heads, they enjoyed decision-making power at their respective tiers and
could even suspend the basic membership of elected representatives of the council.
2. Democrats acted as rubber stamps in mega political matters:
According to the 1962 Constitution, Basic Democrats would also act as an electoral college
for presidential elections. In addition, they would elect the Provincial and National Assembly
through indirect elections.
Given the control of basic democrats, the government and bureaucracy influenced them to
lend support to any measure against their visions and wishes. This was how the government
and bureaucracy used basic democrats to elect Ayub Khan as president.
Similarly, the military regime in order to ensure pro-Ayub provincial and national
governments, used the Basic Democrats as they also formed the electoral college for the
election of the central and provincial assemblies.
Conclusion:
From the above critique, it can be concluded that:
The Basic Democracies System had some advantages as it provided an opportunity for people
to participate in a political process by choosing their representatives and see a great deal of
development work t local levels.
The system was not democratic in nature as bureaucracy ignored the elected representatives
which tantamount to violation of the people’s mandate.
The people of Pakistan had no practical role in the election of the president, provincial, and
federal government.
Structure of the Local Bodies 1979:
The military ruler General Zia-ul-Haq introduced a local government system "The Local
Bodies System 1979" in Pakistan. Contrary to Ayub's Basic Democracies system, the Local
Bodies System 1979 was characterized with two tiers in rural areas and three to four tiers in
urban areas depending upon the size of the town/city.

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Rural Set-up
The lowest tier in rural areas was the union council. The union councilors indirectly formed
Zila Council. The head of the council was called Chairman and Mayor in rural and urban
areas respectively. Contrary to the Basic Democracies System 1959, the Tehsil Council and
Divisional Council were not part of Zia's local government system.
Urban Set-up
The local Bodies System for urban areas consisted of four layers, i.e.:
• Town Committee (for smaller towns),
• Municipal Committee (for larger towns).
• Municipal Corporation (for smaller towns),
• Metropolitan Corporation (for larger towns).
Critique/Analysis in terms of merits and demerits
Merits of the Local Bodies System 1971:
1. The first-ever local Council elections on basis of adult franchise.
For the first time, the provincial governments held elections to local councils based on adult
franchise in both villages and cities simultaneously all over the country including Gilgit-
Baltistan, Federal Area, Tribal Areas, and Azad Kashmir.
2. Increased measures for local empowerment:
Unlike the Basic Democracies System of Ayub Khan, there were no appointed or unofficial
members in councils. Public representatives headed the councils and enjoyed significant
autonomy. Now, they could make and approve decisions about their own budgets and
taxation.
3. Most representative in nature since independence:
The Local Bodies Government System 1979 introduced in 1979 by General Zia-ul-Haq was
the most representative in nature since independence. It provided representation for women,
peasant workers in the councils. Moreover, it also provided reserved seats for minorities.
Although this representation was not enough, it was a step towards empowerment and
inclusion of people in politics.
Demerits of Local Bodies System 1979:
1. Influence of provincial governments
Although the new system provided an increased measure of empowerment, still the councils
were not independent enough. the provincial government could influence the councilors by
using its authority of allocating funds for the councils.
2. Absence of constitutional protection:
No constitutional protection was given to elected local councils as it was a presidential
ordinance. This lack of constitutional protection put local governments vulnerable to the

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whims of bureaucracy and provincial government to suspend local government heads and
make changes at their will.
3. The increased role of elite politics in rural areas:
The new local government system provided a non-Party-based election. The restriction on
political parties to contest elections led to an increased role of the rural elite who dominated
rural politics.
4. Rural-Urban Power Disparity:
The system favored the Urban councils as they enjoyed higher levels of revenue than rural
councils. In contrast, the rural and semi-urban councils were dependent on provincial
governments for financial support.
Local self-Government introduced by General Pervaiz Musharraf:
This new system of Local Government was installed on August 14, 2001, after holding of
elections. Direct elections on non-party basis were held in five phases for members of Union
Councils, Union Nazims, and Naib Union Nazims during 2000 thru to 2001. On the basis of
these direct elections, indirect elections were held in July-August 2001 for Zila Nazims and
Naib Zila Nazims and also for Tehsil-Town Nazims and Naib Nazims. In order to attract
people towards electoral politics, the minimum age for local government elections was
lowered from 21 to 18 years. One-third seats were reserved for women.
The main purpose of introducing the Local Government System was to empower the people
at the grassroots level and to transfer power from the elite to the masses. This system of
grassroots democracy envisaged yielding new political leaders. It was also anticipated to
solve people’s problems at local level, allow public participation in decision-making and
ensure the provision of speedy justice. The essence of this system was that the Local
Governments would be accountable to the citizens for all their decisions. It would enable the
proactive elements of society to participate in community work, development related
activities and would remove rural-urban divide. The new Local Government plan was an
effort on the part of the Military Government to lay the foundations of an authentic and
enduring democracy.
The new System provided a three-tier Local Government structure
The District Government
The Tehsil Government
The Union Administration
3.3.1: Explain the concept of good governance;
Good governance is the process of measuring how public institutions conduct public affairs
and manage public resources and guarantee the realization of human rights in a manner
essentially free of abuse and corruption and with due regard for the rule of law.
Islam, founded on individual and collective morality and responsibility, introduced a social
revolution in the context in which it was first revealed. Collective morality is expressed in the

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Qur'an in such terms as equality, justice, fairness, brotherhood, mercy, compassion,

solidarity, and freedom of choice.
3.3.2: Discuss the characteristics of the Islamic state established by the Holy Prophet
(PBUH) and Hazrat Umar (RA);
The first Islamic State was the political entity established by Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) in
Medina in 622 CE under the Constitution of Medina. It represented the political unity of the
Muslim Ummah (nation).
Islam, founded on individual and collective morality and responsibility, introduced a social
revolution in the context in which it was first revealed. Collective morality is expressed in the
Qur'an in such terms as equality, justice, fairness, brotherhood, mercy, compassion,
solidarity, and freedom of choice.
The main features if Islamic society and culture during its growth was the stress of The five
pillars of Islam, as well as the placement of theocratic governments in order to apply the
ideas of Islam into one’s daily life.
Hazrat Umar demolished the slavery from Islamic state also and gave special rights to the
slaves. He also paid special attention to the rights of non-Muslims, they were given full
liberty to do trade and they were also given jobs at administration level.
He set up an effective system of judicial administration, "hereunder justice was administered
according to the principles of Islam. Qadis were appointed at all administrative levels for the
administration of justice. Hazrat Umar(RA) was the first ruler in history to separate judiciary
from the executive.
3.3.3: Analyse the last sermon of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) as the most comprehensive
charter of Human Rights;
The historic sermon which the Prophet(PBUH) delivered on the plain of Arafat can, without
any doubt, be termed as a 'Universal Charter of Human Rights'. Though short and concise in
nature, it contains a sublime message of rights and obligations, and of peace and prosperity
for the whole of humanity. Its contents are exactly in accordance with the teaching of the
Qur'an and every word of this sermon emphasizes at establishing a society where peace and
righteousness prevail.
By emphasizing on the protection of life, property and honor of others, the Prophet
envisioned a society free from lawlessness and disorder. By abolishing the practice of usury
(interest), he made sure that rich will not devour the hard earned money of the masses, and
develop a lust for wealth. Regarding the rights of women, the Prophet made it clear that both
men and women, have equal rights on each other and that women are not to be victimized in
any way. He emphasized on the rights of slaves (and servants) by instructing the Muslims to
be kind to them.
Regarding the retribution of murder, by waiving off his claim of blood for Rabia bin Harith
bin Abdul Muttalib's unjust killing, the Prophet taught the people to forgive the wrongs done
to them by their enemies. Yet the Qur'an stresses on Qisas since the law of Qisas has always
reduced the number of crimes to the minimum.

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3.3.4: Discuss obstacles in implementation of good governance in Pakistan;

1. Democratic Instability
2. Corruption and Lack of Accountability
3. Outdated Induction System
4. Institutional confrontation
5. Nepotism
6. Feudal System
3.3.5: Suggest remedies to overcome the obstacles hindering the implementation of good
governance in Pakistan.
Pakistan isn’t the only country plagued by governance challenges. Other countries are also
facing comparable issues and Pakistan could benefit from their experience in developing an
effective governance system. It is necessary to strengthen governmental institutions rather
than individuals, but it is also necessary to empower individuals to participate in the
development of sustainability. Decentralization of authority from feudal lords and elite
politicians to local authorities is also a key need of the time for good government. To attract
and retain the best employees, the proper skills must be developed. Workers’ salaries must be
adequate, and legislation must be enacted to improve accountability and transparency, as well
as to punish corrupt individuals harshly. Integrated policymaking and execution is critical
since it has remained a key flaw.
Pakistan has been dealing with a governance crisis since its birth. It has been found that
democratic instability, corruption, lack of accountability, and institutional defects are
producing governance problems in our country. Pakistan must reconsider its government’s
position and capabilities in governing the current law and order, demographic, financial, and
accountability difficulties, all of which have a direct impact on Pakistan’s governance
practices. Pakistan’s ability to deal with future crises and problems hinges on the quality,
adaptability, and efficacy of its public governance system.

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