LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT AUTONOMY IN KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA, PAKISTAN: FISCAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS FOR DISTRICT NOWSHERA (2013–2024)

Abstract

Local government autonomy is fundamental to democratic governance and the effective delivery of public services at the grassroots level. This study examines how the legislative framework established under the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Government Act, 2013 and its Amendment Acts of 2019 and 2022 influenced the fiscal and administrative autonomy of local governments in District Nowshera during 2013–2024. Guided by Fiscal Federalism Theory and Decentralisation Theory, the study employed a mixed-method combining quantitative data from locally elected representatives with qualitative interviews of key stakeholders. The findings indicate that the legislative framework established under the 2013 Act provided comparatively greater fiscal and administrative autonomy, however, the subsequent legislative amendments significantly reduced local autonomy through the abolition of the district tier, the reduction of devolved functions and offices, the transfer of important powers from the Act to subordinate rules, the removal of statutory fiscal safeguards, continued fiscal dependence on provincial transfers, delayed fund releases, limited revenue-generation authority, and increased bureaucratic and political control. The study concludes that the effectiveness of local governance depends not only on the constitutional recognition of local government but also on a legislative framework that provides clear and legally protected guarantees of fiscal and administrative autonomy. It contributes to the literature by revealing that successive legislative amendments, rather than implementation failures alone, have been a key determinant of local government autonomy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.