Government of Punjab, Pakistan

Government of the Punjab
  • حکومت پنجاب
  • Hukūmat-e-Panjāb
Provincial Government
Emblem of Punjab, featuring the five rivers of the region, alongside a crescent and star
Emblem of Punjab
Flag of Punjab
Formation15 August 1947 (1947-08-15) (West Punjab)
1 July 1970 (1970-07-01) (current form)
Constitutional instrumentConstitution of Pakistan
ProvincePunjab
CountryPakistan
Websitepunjab.gov.pk
Legislative branch
LegislatureProvincial Assembly of the Punjab
SpeakerMalik Ahmad Khan
Deputy SpeakerZaheer Iqbal Channar
Assembly membersMembers of the Punjab Assembly (MPA)
Meeting placePunjab Assembly Building (Shahrah-e-Quaid-e-Azam, Lahore)
Executive branch
GovernorSardar Saleem Haider Khan
Chief MinisterMaryam Nawaz
Chief SecretaryZahid Akhtar Zaman
HeadquartersLahore
Main organCabinet
Judicial branch
CourtLahore High Court
Chief JusticeAalia Neelum
SeatLahore (principal seat)[a]
Appeals fromDistrict courts of Punjab

The Government of the Punjab (Punjabi/Urdu: حکومت پنجاب, romanized: Hukūmat-e-Panjāb) is the legal authority of the Pakistani province of Punjab, based in its capital Lahore. It has authority over its 41 districts, with powers and structure set out in the national constitution. The government is composed of three branches — legislative, executive, and judicial. The Punjab Assembly serves as the unicameral legislative authority of the province, and elects the chief minister to head the government, executive, and their appointed cabinet – which is aided by the chief secretary, who serves as the bureaucratic chief and highest-ranking administrative officer of the province. The Governor, appointed by the federal government, serves as the ceremonial head of province. The Lahore High Court, headed by its Chief Justice, is the highest court in the province's judiciary, having supreme appellate jurisdiction over all provincial cases.

The Punjab province is the country's most populous region and is home to the Punjabis and various other groups. Neighbouring provinces of Pakistan are Sindh to the south, Balochistan to the south-west and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the north-west, as well as Azad Jammu and Kashmir to the north and Islamabad Capital Territory to the north-west. It also shares International border with Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east and Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir to the north. The main languages are Punjabi and Urdu and the provincial capital is Lahore. The name Punjab literally translates from Persian into the words 'Panj' (پانج) five, and 'Aab' (آب) water respectively, which can be translated as "five water" (hence the poetic name land of the five rivers), referring to the Beas, Ravi, Sutlej, Chenab and Jhelum rivers. Part of the Indus river also lies in Punjab, but it is not considered one of the "five" rivers.

Departments

There are 41 departments in the Punjab government. Each Department is headed by a provincial Minister (elected member of the provincial assembly) and a provincial Secretary (a civil servant of usually BPS-20, 21, or BPS-22). All ministers and Secretaries report to the Chief Minister and Chief Secretary, who are the Chief Executive. The Chief Secretary Punjab is a BPS-22 grade bureaucrat. The Chief Secretary is appointed by the Prime Minister of Pakistan.

In addition to these departments, there are several Autonomous Bodies and Attached Departments that report directly to either the Secretaries or the Chief Secretary.[1] Punjab is the largest Province by population. For better management, Sub Secretariat and Additional Inspector General (IG) South Punjab office in Multan was established by the government.

List of departments

  • Planning & Development Board
    • Planning & Development Department
  • Services, General Administration, Coordination Department
    • Services Wing
    • General Administration Wing
    • Inter Provincial Coordination Wing
    • I&C Wing
    • Training Management & Research Management Wing
  • Anti-Corruption Establishment
  • Local Government and Community Development Department
  • Home Department
  • Chief Minister's Inspection, Enquiries & Implementation Team
  • Universities and Boards Department
  • Food Department
  • Finance Department
  • Energy Department
  • Health Department
  • Communication and Works Department
  • Culture, Tourism, Antiquities & Archives Department
  • Works & Services Department
  • Information and culture Department
    • Punjab Council of Arts
  • Excise and taxation department
  • Population Welfare Department
  • Labor & Human Resources Department
  • Law & Parliamentary Affairs Department
  • Irrigation Department
  • Highway Department
  • Agriculture Department
  • Literacy & non-formal basic education department
  • Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries department
    • South Punjab Forest Company
  • Information, Science & Technology Department
  • Cooperative Department
  • Women Development Department
  • Transport & Mass Transit Department
  • Industries, commerce and investment department
  • Human Settlement Department
  • Social Welfare Department
  • Mines & Minerals Development Department
  • Rehabilitation Department
  • Sports & Youth Affairs Department
  • Housing, Urban Development, and Public Health Engineering Department
  • Higher Education Department
  • School Education Department
  • Environment, Climate Change & Coastal Development Department
  • Investment Department
  • Auqaf and Religious Affairs Department
  • Human Rights and Minorities Affairs Department

Autonomous Bodies and Attached Departments

  • Punjab Information Technology Board
  • Punjab Prisons (Pakistan)
  • Punjab Higher Education Commission
  • Punjab Commission on the Status of Women
  • Punjab Khal Panchayat Authority
  • Punjab Masstransit Authority
  • Punjab Food Authority
  • Punjab Forensic Science Agency
  • Punjab Employees Social Security Institution (PESSI)

Legislature

The Punjab Assembly is a unicameral legislature with 297 elected members, 66 seats reserved for women and 8 seats reserved for non-Muslims)[2]

See also

  • Governor of Punjab, Pakistan
  • Chief Minister of Punjab (Pakistan)
  • Speaker of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab
  • Leader of the Opposition Punjab
  • Chief Secretary Punjab

Notes

  1. ^ Circuit benches: Bahawalpur, Multan, Rawalpindi

References

  1. ^ "Provincial Departments | Punjab Portal". punjab.gov.pk. Archived from the original on 23 January 2015. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  2. ^ "Punjab Assembly". www.pap.gov.pk. Archived from the original on 30 July 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
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