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Cantonments in Pakistan () are permanent military bases of the
Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...
, which are administered by Cantonment Boards under the control of the Military Lands & Cantonments Department (ML&C), Ministry of Defence,
Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan () (abbreviated as GoP), constitutionally known as the Federal Government, commonly known as the Centre, is the national authority of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a federal republic located in South Asia, con ...
. Cantonments are established under and governed by the Cantonments Act 1924. In recent times, the demographic character of most
independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...
-era cantonments has changed, as they are no longer primarily "garrison" areas, and include significant civilian populations and private businesses. Based on the strength of civil population, the cantonments have been divided into three classes. Class I Cantonments, in which the civil population is 100,000 or more; Class II Cantonments, in which the civil population is 50,000 or more but less than 100,000; and Class III Cantonments, in which the civil population is less than 50,000. There are a total of 56 Cantonments in Pakistan. As of 2013, the greatest number, 27, is in
Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...
, then 10 in
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Northern Pakistan, northwestern region of the country, Khyber ...
and
Sindh Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...
, 7 in
Balochistan Balochistan ( ; , ), also spelled as Baluchistan or Baluchestan, is a historical region in West and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. This arid region o ...
and 2 in Gilgit Baltistan.


Administration of cantonments

Prior to 1864, cantonments used to be administered by military authorities under various government orders. In 1864, for the first time, an act was adopted for improving the administration of the cantonments. A magistrate was appointed to administer the area. The act also regulated the funds granted by Government for the purpose of bettering the various facilities. In 1880, another act was passed that empowered the cantonment authority to impose taxes, as well as granting legal status to the cantonment committee. The act gave power to impose fines and penalties for non-payment of taxes, and for encroachments. After
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, political changes took place in
South Asia South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...
that affected the administration of the cantonments. The changes also became part of day-to-day life in cantonments, as it had to do with its working. The Cantonments Act of 1924 was a landmark in the history of cantonments, as it brought in its wake some sweeping changes. The act introduced the representative local government system, under which elected representative of the civil population became members of the Cantonment Boards. The boards were created as autonomous statutory local bodies for providing civil services. The powers and functions of the Cantonment Board are synonymous to Municipal Committees in the cities. The members constituting the board are both officially nominated as well as elected through a direct vote on the basis of adult franchise. Officials nominated as members hold the majority. The station commander, a senior military officer, is the ''
ex officio An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, or council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by r ...
'' president of the board. This is to protect the interest of troops, and ensure their welfare and discipline. The administration of cantonments and management of the military lands inside and outside the cantonments is centrally controlled and supervised by the Military Lands and Cantonments Department, which is an attached department of the Ministry of Defense headed by a director general Hassan Raza Maneka. The post of MLC director general is purely civilian, but a serving major general has been appointed on it. Army captured the post after former president Pervez Musharraf's 1999 coup. Since then, the post has been doled out to serving majors general in violation of civil service rules. Maj-Gen Javed Iqbal was the first army officer to be appointed on the coveted post. Qazi Naeem Ahmad was the last civilian served as DG Military Lands and Cantonments. The director general is assisted by an additional director Ahmad Hamza Khan and a deputy director Ali Hassan at the headquarters. In addition, five Regional Deputy Directors based at Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi and Quetta supervise the respective cantonment boards in their jurisdiction. The Cantonment Executive Officer Faisal Masood is the principal executive at the local level. The board normally decides and lays down policies, while the executive officer executes these policies. He is the chief exponent of the board’s policies. He acts as an adviser and is a permanent officer specially trained in local administration. He is empowered to carry out the policies and decisions and ensure adherence to the various laws and bylaws. The presence of elected members in the board has a salutary effect, and is most beneficial for the civilian residents because the elected members are the medium to convey their views. The elected members play an important role in the development of public services in their respective areas. Development works are usually carried out in consultation with the respective elected members. Major development schemes are finalized in the budget meeting held before the beginning of the fiscal year, with the consent of all the members. The Cantonment Board is an organ of the local government and is free to formulate policies for local development within the frame work of the Cantonments Act and other government regulations. The board ordinarily holds one meeting each month. All matters are decided by majority, but in case of a tie, the matter is decided through the president's vote. All meetings of the board are open meetings, unless specifically directed otherwise by the president of the board. All Cantonments Boards work under the administrative control of the director general of Military Lands and Cantonments. The director general may issue various directives on important policy matters, and the Cantonment Boards comply with the same. All accounts are audited annually by the Audit Department of the Government of Pakistan.


Local government and elections

Local government elections have not been held in the cantonments since year 2000 in Pakistan. The absence of local government across the various cantonments board in Pakistan was challenged in the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 2009. The Government of Pakistan has responded by stating that changes to the Cantonment Boards Act of 1924 are pending at the National Assembly of Pakistan, as of 2014. Many of the identified anomalies in the existing Act of 1924 are in direct conflict with the Constitution of Pakistan. The Government of Pakistan has responded by saying that: "The presence of a number of laws (the Cantonment Act 1924 , the Cantonment Local Government Election Ordinance 2002 and the Cantonment Ordinance 2002) made it difficult to hold free and fair elections in the areas as required by the Constitution." The Provincial governments are bound by law to announce a date for local elections in consultation with the Election Commission of Pakistan once the legal challenges have been resolved. The last election was held in the month of September 2021 throughout Pakistan.


List of cantonments in Pakistan


Balochistan Province

*
Chaman Chaman (Pashto and ) is the capital city of the Chaman District in Balochistan, Pakistan, Balochistan, Pakistan. It is located near the Durand Line, Afghanistan-Pakistan border. The city is situated south of the Wesh–Chaman border crossing with ...
Cantonment *
Khuzdar Khuzdar ( Balochi, , ) also known as ''Hozdar'', is a city and the administrative headquarters of Khuzdar District in Balochistan province of Pakistan. Khuzdar is surrounded by mountainous region of the southwestern portion of the country near ...
Cantonment * Loralai Cantonment * Ormara Cantonment * Quetta Cantonment * Zhob Cantonment *
Gwadar Gwadar (, ) is a Port, port city on the southwestern coast of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Balochistan, Pakistan, Balochistan. The city is located on the shores of the Arabian Sea, opposite Oman and has a populati ...
Cantonment *
Turbat Turbat (Urdu and ) is a city in the southern region of Balochistan province of Pakistan. It is the administrative centre of Kech District. Turbat is the second-largest city in Balochistan after Quetta and the 35th largest city in the coun ...
Cantonment *
Sibi Sibi (; ;) is a city situated in the Balochistan (Pakistan), Balochistan Subdivisions of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. The city serves as the administrative headquarters of the Sibi District, district and Sibi Tehsil, tehsil of the same name ...
Cantonment * Pasni Cantonment


Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province

* Abbottabad Cantonment * Bannu Cantonment * Cherat Cantonment * Dera Ismail Khan Cantonment * Havelian Cantonment * Kohat Cantonment * Mardan Cantonment * Nowshera Cantonment * Peshawar Cantonment * Risalpur Cantonment *
Swat A SWAT (''Special Weapons and Tactics'') team is a generic term for a police tactical unit within the United States, though the term has also been used by other nations. SWAT units are generally trained, equipped, and deployed to res ...
Cantonment (Under construction) * Tarbela Cantonment *Kalabagh Cantonment, Nathia Gali


Punjab Province

* Gujranwala Cantonment * Attock Cantonment * Attock Fort Cantonment * Bhawalpur Cantonment *
Rahim Yar Khan Rahim Yar Khan (; ) is a city in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. It is the List of most populous cities in Pakistan, 21st most populous city in Pakistan and is the capital of the Rahim Yar Khan District. The city's administration is div ...
Cantonment * Chaklala Cantonment * D.G.Khan Cantonment * Jalalpur Jattan Cantonment * Jhelum Cantonment * Kamra Cantonment *
Kharian Cantonment Kharian Cantonment (Urdu: کھاریاں چھاؤنی۔), ( Punjabi: ) or Kharian Cantt is one of the largest cantonments (army bases) in Pakistan. It is located near Kharian city, in the Gujrat district of Punjab province. This cantonment ...
* Kirana Cantonment, Sargodha * Lahore Cantonment * Mangla Cantonment * Mansar Cantonment * Marala Cantonment * Multan Cantonment * Murree Hills Cantonment * Mailsi Cantonment * Okara Cantonment * Qadirabad Cantonment * Rawalpindi Cantonment * Sanjwal Cantonment * Sargodha Cantonment * Shorkot Cantonment * Sialkot Cantonment *
Taxila Cantonment Taxila Cantonment () is a cantonment adjacent to Taxila in Rawalpindi District, Punjab province, Pakistan.Wah Cantonment * Walton Cantonment * Chunian Cantonment * Khanewal Cantonment


Sindh Province

* Chhor, Sindh Cantonment * Clifton Cantonment, Karachi *
Faisal Cantonment The Faisal Cantonment () previously known as Drigh Road Cantonment is a cantonment town of the city of Karachi, in Sindh, Pakistan. It serves as a Pakistan Air Force base and residential establishment. History The PAF Base, a critical British ...
, Karachi * Hyderabad Cantonment * Karachi Cantonment *
Korangi Creek Cantonment Korangi Creek Cantonment or Korangi Cantonment () is a military cantonment in Korangi Town within Malir District of the city of Karachi, in Sindh, Pakistan. It serves as a military base and residential establishment. It was established by th ...
, Karachi * Kashmor Cantonment *
Malir Cantonment The Malir Cantonment () is a cantonment town of the city of Karachi, in Sindh, Pakistan. It serves as a military base and residential establishment. History Declared a cantonment by the British Army, Royal British Government as POW Camp by M ...
, Karachi * Manora Cantonment, Karachi * Pano Aqil Cantonment * Petaro Cantonment * Badin Cantonment *
Jacobabad Jacobabad, also known as Khanger, is a city in Sindh, Pakistan, serving as both the capital city of Jacobabad District and the administrative centre of Jacobabad Taluka, an administrative subdivision of the district. The city itself is subd ...
Cantonment


Gilgit Baltistan

*
Gilgit Gilgit (; Shina language, Shina: ; ) is a city in Pakistani-administered Gilgit-Baltistan, Gilgit–Baltistan in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kas ...
Cantonment *
Skardu Skardu (, Tibetan script: སྐར་མདོ, ) is a city located in Pakistan-administered Gilgit-Baltistan in the disputed Kashmir region. The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kas ...
Cantonment * Rattu Cantonment


See also

*
Cantonment A cantonment (, , or ) is a type of military base. In South Asia, a ''cantonment'' refers to a permanent military station (a term from the British Raj). In United States military parlance, a cantonment is, essentially, "a permanent residential ...


References


External links


Military Lands and Cantonments, official website

List of Cantonment Laws of Pakistan
{{Army Cantonments of Pakistan Pakistan Army Local government in Pakistan Pakistan military-related lists