Governance is the process of making and enforcing decisions within an organization or society. It involves the structures and processes that ensure accountability, transparency, responsiveness, rule of law, stability, equity, inclusiveness, empowerment, and participation of all stakeholders.

Good governance is essential for the legislature, executive and judiciary in Pakistan because it can enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of public services, promote the rule of law and human rights, foster economic growth and development, reduce corruption and poverty, and increase public trust and confidence in the state institutions.

Some of the challenges that hinder good governance in Pakistan include the colonial legacy of centralized and bureaucratic administration that undermines the autonomy and accountability of local governments.
The lack of separation of powers and checks and balances among the three branches of government, leading to concentration of power and interference in each other’s functions create administrative obstructions.
The weak institutional capacity and performance of public sector organizations, resulting in poor service delivery, low quality standards, and inadequate monitoring and evaluation fail the service delivery systems.
The pervasive corruption and nepotism that erode the integrity and credibility of public officials and institutions, as well as the public resources and assets undermine the public interest upon administrative institutions.

The low level of civic engagement and participation in decision-making processes, especially among marginalized groups such as women, minorities, and youth hinder the vertical development of good governance.

How can good governance in Pakistan be achieved?

It’s important to strengthening the devolution of power and resources to local governments, and enhancing their accountability and responsiveness to the citizens’ needs and demands. It’s essential to develop specialized bureaucracy in place of generalist bureaucracy.
Reforming the electoral system and political parties to ensure fair representation, transparency, and accountability of elected representatives is critical.
It is also critical to improve the independence and professionalism of the judiciary and the law enforcement agencies, and ensuring access to justice for all citizens with functional rule of law and protection of human rights.

Then, building the capacity and competence of public sector organizations, and adopting performance-based management systems and incentives is significant. Furthermore,
promoting a culture of integrity and ethics in public service, and enforcing anti-corruption laws and mechanisms is vital. It is also important to encourage civic education and awareness among the citizens, and creating platforms for dialogue and consultation between the state and civil society.

Lastly, with the principles of federalism, devolution, reforms, rule of law, autonomy & technological skills, the concept of good governance can be realized.