Subahdar, also known as Nazim, was one of the designations of a governor of a Subah (province) during the Khalji dynasty of Bengal, Mamluk dynasty, Khalji dynasty, Tughlaq dynasty, and the Mughal era who was alternately designated as Sahib-i-Subah or Nazim. The word, ''Subahdar'' is of Persian origin. The Subahdar was the head of the Mughal provincial administration. He was assisted by the provincial ''Diwan'', '' Bakhshi'', '' Faujdar'', '' Kotwal'', '' Qazi'', ''Sadr'', ''Waqa-i-Navis'', ''Qanungo'' and '' Patwari''. The Subahdars were normally appointed from among the Mughal princes or the officers holding the highest ''mansabs'' (ranks).

Nazim

A ''nazim'' (, ; from the Arabic word for "organizer" or "convenor"), similar to a

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

, was the coordinator of cities and towns in

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. Nazim is the title in

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

of the chief elected official of a

local government in Pakistan Pakistan is a federal republic with three tiers of government: national, provincial and local. Local government is protected by the constitution in Articles 32 and 140-A, and each province also has its own local-government-enabling legislation ...

, such as a

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

tehsil A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a Zila (country subdivision), district including the designated populated place that ser ...

, union council, or village council. Likewise, a deputy mayor is known as a ''Naib nazim'' (). The word naib in Urdu literally means "assistant" or "deputy" hence Naib nazim was similar in function to a deputy mayor. He was also custodian of the house. Pakistan originally had a system inherited from the time of

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

rule, in which a

was the head of a

. Under the Local Government Act, however, the role of the nazim became distinct from that of a

, with more power. The nazim system was introduced after the commissionerate system, imposed during British rule, was lifted by the government of Pakistan. This

Local Government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

act was imposed in the country in 2001. One exception, however, is

Islamabad Islamabad (; , ; ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's tenth-most populous city with a population of over 1.1 million and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Bu ...

, the federal capital, where the commissionerate system remained in effect. In 2009, the new government restored the commissionerate system. All the provinces introduced their own new local government systems. A ''Nazim'' was also empowered to decide criminal cases. The ''Nazim'' was the lowliest of elected officials in Pakistan. The district nazim, is elected by the nazims of Union Councils, Union Councillors, and Tehsil Nazims, who themselves are elected directly by the votes of the local public. The name which is used for the president of Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba, the Islamic Union of Students in Pakistan, is Nazim-e-ala (). The nazim-e-ala is elected for one year, and after completing that tenure, all the members of IJT who are called (Arkaan) elect a new one.

References

{{Reflist Government of the Mughal Empire Medieval history of India Titles in Pakistan Titles in India