Government of Punjab, Pakistan


The Government of the Punjab, a provincial government in the federal structure of Pakistan, is based in Lahore, the capital of the Punjab Province.
The Punjab province is the country's most populous region and is home to the Punjabis and various other groups. Neighbouring areas are Sindh to the south, Balochistan and Federally Administered Tribal Areas to the west, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Kashmir, Indian Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh and Islamabad to the north, and Indian Punjab and Rajasthan to the east. The main languages are Punjabi and Urdu and the provincial capital is Lahore. The name Punjab literally translates from Persian into the words 'Panj' five, and 'Aab' water respectively, which can be translated as "five water", referring to the Beas, Ravi, Sutlej, Chenab and Jhelum rivers. Part of the Indus river also lies in Punjab, but it is not considered one of the "five" rivers.

Departments

There are 48 departments in Punjab government. Each Department is headed by a provincial Minister and a provincial Secretary. All ministers report to the Chief Minister, who is the Chief Executive; and all secretaries report to Chief Secretary Punjab, who is a BPS-22 grade bureaucrat. The Chief Secretary is appointed by the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
In addition to these departments, there are several Autonomous Bodies and Attached Departments that report directly to either the Secretaries or the Chief Secretary.

Legislature

The Punjab Assembly is a unicameral legislature with 297 elected Members,66 seats reserved for women and 8 seats reserved for non-Muslims)