Tracing the history and role of cantonments

Local bodies’ elections have just been held in cantonments across Pakistan, providing an interesting mix of civilian populist politics and military discipline. Today, the new policy-making organs prepare to tackle governance in the country’s 42 cantonment areas, six of which are located in Karachi.

Whether in the rugged terrain of Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa that acted as buffer zones between the British and Russian empires as they played ‘the Great Game’, the plains of Punjab that provided military personnel to the British and Allied forces in the world wars, or the airstrip of cosmopolitan Karachi that played a strategic part in the campaigns of World War II, the cantonments of Pakistan have a history in the geo-strategic role the country plays in regional and even global politics.

The cantonment lands have existed since the early days of British rule, and over time, they have transitioned from housing exclusive military establishments to hosting greater civilian populations as well as delivering the associated military functions.

It was in 1864 that their administration was streamlined and placed under charge of a magistrate. A more institutionalised framework was set in place in 1880, when the cantonment authorities were mandated to impose taxes and gained legal status.

The Cantonments Act of 1924 was a critical milestone, however, for the first time, it introduced a representative local government system, allowing elected civilians residing in the area to become members of the cantonment boards. These boards, with powers and functions equal to the city municipal boards, were corporate bodies with the authority to acquire and hold moveable and immoveable property.

This act still serves as the most important legislative tool for governing cantonment land in Pakistan. The cantonment boards remain the principal decision-making bodies for the cantonments, with all matters being decided by majority. In case of a tie, the matter is decided through the president’s casting vote.

The Military Lands and Cantonment Department, instituted as the umbrella department controlling all cantonments, is now attached to the Ministry of Defence and is headed by a director-general. While only the federal government has the power to alter the limits of a cantonment and to create new cantonments, the cantonments have their own master plans for their entire jurisdictions; the rules of the civilian municipal or land development authorities do not apply within their limits.

The cantonments today are mandated for the management of land, provision of municipal services and revenue generation through the levying of taxes. They also link up with civilian civic services institutions to share in the overall provision of services. For example, the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board — the sole public sector water and sanitation services authority in the city — supplies water in bulk to the cantonments, which the cantonment boards in turn are responsible for providing to each household in their jurisdiction.

With the holding of elections in the cantonments, there is optimism about achieving better coordination and improved governance of these urban settlements as greater harmony is created between civilian and cantonment authorities.
Farhan Anwar is an urban planner and runs a non-profit organisation based in Karachi focusing on urban sustainability issues.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 27^th, 2015.