Local government in Pakistan

Pakistan operates as a federal republic with a three-tiered government system: national, provincial, and local. The constitution safeguards local governance through Articles 32 and 140-A, while each province has its own legislation and ministries to facilitate local government operations. In the provinces, district councils serve as the highest authority for rural areas, while metropolitan corporations hold that status for urban regions. Local government structures in both urban and rural settings typically consist of two or three tiers, except in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where councils are not classified as urban or rural. Across the four provinces, there are 129 district councils, 619 urban councils which include one city district, four metropolitan corporations, 13 municipal corporations, 96 municipal committees, 148 town councils, 360 urban union committees, and 1,925 rural councils. Furthermore, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is home to 3,339 councils at the neighbourhood, 'tehsil,' and village levels.