RESEARCH PAPER

Devolution Plan in Pakistan: Context, implementation & issues

Abstract

The military regime overthrew the elected government in Pakistan in 1999. In order to legitimize their overtaking of power, it immediately announced a national reconstruction plan. This plan, among other components, put forward an elaborate proposal of devolution & decentralization along with creation of a local government system. This study is an overview of devolution in Pakistan introduced in 2001 with the election to local governments and promulgation of a local government ordinance. It covers the period from 2001 to 2003 during which the local governments went through the teething phases.

The study looks at the context under which local governments have existed in Pakistan. It analyses the process of devolution by looking at its political, administrative, fiscal and development components. It identifies the specific problems being faced in implementation by various stakeholders and offers policy prescriptions to remedy the identified problems. The outcomes of the study target the government agencies involved in implementation of the process, various related agencies, donor organizations supporting the process and researchers and common people having interest in the subject.

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