[1][2] In 1958, Ayub Khan assumed power in Pakistan, asserting that Western-style constitutions were unsuitable for developing countries.
[4] The basic democracy system had elements of existing local governance structures such as traditional village councils, known as panchayats in Punjab and union boards in Bengal, which were initially referred to as union panchayats by Ayub Khan in September 1959.
[5] The term was later changed to 'union councils' during the Governors' Conference in Dhaka on September 2, 1959, and subsequently used in the Basic Democracies Law.
[6] The foundational unit, the union council, typically included a chairman and around 15 members, with two-thirds elected and one-third nominated by the government, a practice abolished in 1962.
[6] The divisional councils, forming the fourth tier, functioned primarily as advisory bodies, led by the Divisional Commissioner and including members from the district councils and government departments.