• Defence minister says military rulers stayed longer in power due to introduction of local bodies
• Notes resistance to empowering grassroots tier comes from bureaucracy
• LUMS VC highlights administrative, service delivery dimensions of local govt

LAHORE: Despite their crucial role in strengthening grassroots politics and democratic governance, local governments in Pakistan continue to remain neglected by political parties — a failure that has ultimately weakened civilian rule, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said here on Saturday.

Addressing a session titled ‘Devolution for Revolution’ at ThinkFest, the federal minister said that three military rulers — Gen Ayub Khan, Gen Ziaul Haq and Gen Pervez Musharraf — remained in power longer than any civilian government largely because they introduced local government systems and drew political strength from them.

Flanked by Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) Vice Chancellor Dr Ali Cheema, former State Bank governor Dr Ishrat Hussain and former minority MPA Mary James Gill, he admitted that the failure to institutionalise local bodies was “a political failure on our part”.

He noted that local government elections, whenever held, had historically been far less controversial than national polls. “Yet we have continued to avoid them,” he regretted.

The minister recalled that local bodies were included in the Charter of Democracy signed by the two major political parties, his own PML-N and the PPP, but the provision failed to find adequate space in the 18th Constitu­tio­nal Amendment, even though most other agreed reforms were incorporated.

He added that resistance to empowering the grassroots tier mainly came from the bureaucracy, which feared losing authority to elected representatives.

Delivery system

Expanding the discussion, Ali Cheema of LUMS highlighted the administrative and service delivery dimensions of local governments. While Mr Asif focused on their political and democratic value, Mr Cheema said their real strength resided in defining the state’s service delivery system.

Citing international examples, he said the United Kingdom spent nearly 60 per cent of its development funds through local governments, while the United States allocated around 40pc. “This is how they achieved the so-called municipal revolution,” he said.

He explained that in developed countries, local governments provided essential services such as clean water, sanitation, health facilities and civic infrastructure, while also collecting taxes and strengthening citizens’ sense of ownership.

“In Pakistan, unfortunately, this institutional infrastructure was never built. When the system is missing, the sense of citizenship also remains weak,” he added.

Fiscal reforms

The discussion then shifted to constitutional and fiscal reforms, with Dr Ishrat Hussain pointing out that although the 18th Amendment clearly defined the roles of federal and provincial governments, it failed to properly outline the functions and powers of the third tier of governance.

“This ambiguity continues to create political and administrative friction,” he said, adding that the amendment should have established a provincial finance commission to directly channel funds to underdeveloped areas within provinces.

Strong local governments, he argued, would not only improve development efficiency but could also generate their own revenue by improving tax collection and identifying new income sources. He pointed out that if institutions such as the Lahore Development Authority, the Water and Sanitation Agency and other civic bodies were placed under the authority of an elected mayor, municipal administrations would become financially stronger and more self-sustaining.

Advising political parties to embrace rather than compete with local governments, Dr Hussain said empowering the grassroots tier would ultimately strengthen democratic governance and benefit mainstream politics.

Mary James Gill was of the opinion that local bodies gave identity and dignity to people at the grassroots level. Punjab lawmaker Ahmad Ihsan moderated the session.

Published in Dawn, January 25th, 2026