ABSTRACT
Local governance in Pakistan has been considerably weakened by the lack of continuity of elected representation at the local level, and the frequent changes of local government systems. In all the provinces, local autonomy is curtailed by provincial jurisdiction for important service delivery and human resource management functions, and the weakness of the fiscal decentralization arrangements. Interference by provincial and national legislators having their own development funds further undermines the importance of local decision-making. The capability of local governments to significantly influence the achievements of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is rather limited.
