Punjab Cabinet Allocates Funds for Local Government Elections Amid Calls for Increased Devolution Despite Centralised Law.

Punjab’s cabinet announced that it will allocate funds for local‑government elections, the first step toward reinstating a democratic tier that has been absent for more than four years. The budget allocation follows several years of premature dissolution, court‑mandated reinstatement, and repeated delays, indicating the province’s intention to hold polls that were due in April 2022. The announcement came only days after the interior minister, supported by DG ISPR, argued that creating new provinces or administrative units could improve governance, suggesting that reviving local governments may demonstrate effective devolution. However, the current Punjab local‑government law provides for elected councils but concentrates practical administrative and financial power in the provincial government and bureaucracy, making elected representatives dependent on officials for routine decisions. This centralised model means that, although elected bodies exist, they lack the autonomy needed for meaningful decision‑making, which critics say defeats the purpose of local governments. The legislature has been described as comparable only with other provinces that grant slightly more space, but Punjab remains the most centralised province in the country, meaning that local elections may only be a formality without true devolution.