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Languages & Literature
Pakistan
World & History
The legislature, judiciary, key offices of state, secretariats and the local government system.
10 of 10 viii. multi-level governance in pakistan
Federal, provincial and local tiers
Multi-level governance means that authority is shared among several levels of government, federal, provincial and local, as well as with non-state actors. Pakistan's 1973 Constitution creates a federal parliamentary system with three tiers of government.
National Assembly, Senate and provincial assemblies
Pakistan's federal legislature, the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament), consists of the President, the National Assembly and the Senate. Each province also has an elected provincial assembly.
Supreme Court, Federal Constitutional Court, High Courts and lower courts
Pakistan's judiciary consists of the Supreme Court, the Federal Constitutional Court, the Federal Shariat Court, five High Courts and the subordinate courts in each district, along with special courts and tribunals.
Head of state in a parliamentary system
The President is the head of state and represents the unity of the Republic. In Pakistan's parliamentary system, the President generally acts on the advice of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
Head of government and chief executive
The Prime Minister is the head of government and the chief executive of the federation, elected by the National Assembly and leading the Federal Cabinet.
The provincial executive
In each province, the Governor is the constitutional head appointed by the President, while the Chief Minister, elected by the provincial assembly, leads the provincial government and cabinet.
Collective leadership of the federation
The Federal Cabinet, headed by the Prime Minister, makes collective decisions on national policy; its committees handle specialized matters such as the economy, energy, privatization, legislation and national security.
The administrative machinery of government
The federal and provincial secretariats are the administrative headquarters of government, made up of ministries or departments headed by secretaries, which advise ministers and oversee policy implementation.
District, zila, tehsil and union administration
Local government is the third tier of government, closest to the people. Pakistan's local government systems have included Ayub Khan's Basic Democracies, Zia-ul-Haq's local councils, Musharraf's devolution plan of district (zila), tehsil and union governments, and the provincial systems established under Article 140A after 2010.
Causes of success and failure
Pakistan's local governments have delivered services and political participation when they functioned, but have been undermined by discontinuity, provincial reluctance to share power, financial dependence, weak capacity and elite capture.