Abstract
Local government in Pakistan is classified as the third tier of government where since 1947,
politicians and bureaucracy of every hue, had has redirected all channel of power and
physical resources from citizenry, gradually but manifestly. Over the years, a series of
amenities at empowerment and control of third tier of government has created a tug of
conflicts between local and central/provincial government. After 18th amendment, the new
experiments in local government in each province have created conflicts with divided
powers, where the uneasy relationship between civil servants and local elected
representatives is assuming complexity. This research aims at examining and evaluating the
conflicting turfs between provincial bureaucracy and elected public representatives in local
government resulting from politics of devolution of powers (decentralization) from provincial
to local governments. For this purpose, this study empirically analyses the views of provincial
bureaucracy and the local representatives in four cities (capital of each province) of Pakistan
at local government level. The results of the empirical investigation are analyzed qualitatively
which demonstrate almost the opposite picture of both civil servants and the political local
government. The problem of sharing is knotted in complication between political
representatives and provincial bureaucracy and is predisposed by many components like in
decentralization process and transfer of functions; responsibilities to local bodies which
ultimately affect local governance. The findings are helpful for the concerned authorities to
ensure smooth implementation at local level and owing to conflicts between bureaucracy
and local representatives; there is dire need for establishing formal arrangement between
provincial and local government.
