3.1 Local government in Pakistan until 2001
In 1947, on the eve of independence, Pakistan inherited the local government system of colonial India. The British Administration had introduced the concept of local self-government' by creating a separate tier to administer civic functions, initially through appointed local administrators and then through elected municipal and district boards for urban and rural areas respectively This system was first introduced in Bengal and Madras, followed by Bombay, Punjab and other colonial states. Separate laws were enacted in each state for large cities, municipal cities and towns, and rural areas(Alam 1999). During the independence movement in India, national political parties stood for greater representation at central and provincial levels rather than local government. This prompted the British government to grant autonomy at the provincial level(Cheema et al. 2005), and was a major factor in the weak development of local governments in the areas that later became Pakistan(Ali 1980).