From the Indus Valley civilization to British rule: Examining the evolution of governance of the Punjab and its contemporary implications

Authors

  • Osama Sharoon Ph.D Scholar, Department of Political Science, University of the Punjab, Pakistan Author
  • Dr. Ghulam Mustafa Associate Professor, Department of International Relations, Government College University Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan Author
  • Muhammad Shahrukh Ph.D Scholar, Department of International Relations, Government College University, Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.71085/sss.04.01.208

Keywords:

Evolution, Greeks, Imperialism, Indo-Scythians, Indus Valley, Mauryans, Mughals, Sikhs

Abstract

This research envisions the analytical discourse on the history of development and evolution of the Punjab Governance. Historically, the Indus Valley Civilization incepted the governance machinery in the Punjab that was subsequently developed by various indigenous and foreign powers. The qualitative data, collected through the Historical Research Methodology and analyzed by the tools of Chronological Mapping, unearthed the findings that the governance systems in the Punjab, developed by multiple powers, witnessed unprecedentedly meteoric development in the British Imperial Age. However, Punjab Governance, after the creation of Pakistan remained strangled under the shadow of stagnancy and inefficiency, putting the spanner in the wheels of this evolution. Ipso facto, to resuscitate the spirit of evolution and development of Punjab Governance, in order to meet modern standards, this research recommends the adherence to Data Science, the application of the City Governance Model, the utilization of the Pyramid Solution and the liberation of the Executive from politics.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Ahmad, R. E., & Sharoon, O. (2025). Harnessing Data Science for Sectoral Efficiency in the Governance Framework of the Punjab. Pakistan Social Sciences Review, 9(1), 157-171. Doi https://doi.org/10.35484/pssr.2025(9-I)13

Ahmed, A. (2002). Islamic Administration in Medieval India. Oxford University Press.

Ahmed, S. (2019). Governance challenges in post-independence Punjab. Journal of South Asian Studies, 34(2), 120-135.

Ali, M. (2016). The Mughal Administrative System: A Study in Historical Continuity and Change. Harvard University Press.

Ali, M. (2020). Punjab through the ages: A governance perspective. Pakistan Historical Review, 45(3), 98-115.

Ansari, S. H. (2018). Colonial Punjab and its Governance Structures. Routledge.

Banga, I. (2013). The Agrarian System of Punjab under the Sikhs. Manohar Publishers.

Bhardwaj, V., & Sharma, U. (2024). Revisiting Punjab's Transformative Journey, 1947 to 1966. ESI Preprints, 25, 153-153.

Bosworth, C. E. (1977). The Ghaznavids: Their Empire in Afghanistan and Eastern Iran. Edinburgh University Press.

Briant, P. (2002). From Cyrus to Alexander: A History of the Persian Empire. Eisenbrauns.

Chakrabarty, B., & Bhattacharya, M. (2018). Governance in South Asia: Perspectives and challenges. Routledge.

Chandra, S. (1997). Medieval India: From Sultanate to the Mughals. Har-Anand Publications.

Fitzpatrick, H. (2024). Mapping Partition: Politics, Territory and the End of Empire in India and Pakistan. John Wiley & Sons.

Grewal, J. S. (1998). The Sikhs of the Punjab. Cambridge University Press.

Habib, I. (2012). Economic History of Medieval India: 1200-1500. Permanent Black.

Iqbal, M., & Raza, K. (2022). Colonial legacies and contemporary governance in Punjab. Governance & Public Policy Journal, 12(1), 45-60.

Jackson, P. (2014). The Delhi Sultanate: A Political and Military History. Cambridge University Press.

Kennedy, H. (2004). The Prophet and the Age of the Caliphates. Routledge.

Khalid, I., & Sharoon, O. (2024). Lessons from Scotland’s Administrative Framework: Developing the City Governance Model for Sectoral Efficiency in the Punjab. Journal of Development and Social Sciences, 5(4), 628-641. Doi https://doi.org/10.47205/jdss.2024(5-IV)55

Khan, A. (2005). Mughal Governance in the Punjab. Sage Publications.

Khan, N. (2021). Bureaucratic inertia and governance reforms in Pakistan. Asian Journal of Governance, 29(4), 200-215.

Khan, R. (2023). The Evolution of Administrative Structures in Punjab from Mughal to Colonial Rule. Journal of South Asian Studies, 40(2), 145-167.

Lal, K. (2011). Revenue Administration of the Mughals. Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers.

Malik, I. (2004). The History of Punjab: Governance and Administrative Evolution. Oxford University Press.

Metcalf, B. D., & Metcalf, T. R. (2006). A Concise History of Modern India. Cambridge University Press.

Meyerovitch, M. A. (2002). The Ghaznavid Empire: Expansion and Success in the Eleventh Century. Brill.

Nadvi, A. (2015). Colonial Governance and Society in Punjab. Sage Publications.

Olivelle, P. (2024). Imperial Ideology and Religious Pluralism in the Aśokan Inscriptional Record. Google Books.

Qureshi, I. H. (2010). Administration of the Sultanate of Delhi. University of Karachi Press.

Rai, S. (2008). The Military System of the Sikhs under Ranjit Singh. Manohar Publishers.

Richards, J. F. (1993). The Mughal Empire. Cambridge University Press.

Rizvi, H. (2020). Public administration in Punjab: A pathway for reform. Lahore University Press.

Sarkar, J. (2009). The Fall of the Mughal Empire. Orient Blackswan.

Shahrukh, M., Mustafa, G., & Sharoon, O. (2022). Governance and Security: Codification and Utility of Security Camping Grounds during the British Empire in Undivided Subcontinent. Journal of Development and Social Sciences, 3(4), 619-630. Doi https://doi.org/10.47205/jdss.2022(3-IV)57

Sharma, P. (2022). Governance in Punjab: A Historical Perspective. Indian Historical Review, 48(1), 20-45.

Sharoon, O. (2024). Sustainable Development Goals: A Case Study of Punjab Province of Pakistan in transforming the Governance for Localisation of the Agenda 2030 of the UN. Department of International Relations. Government College University Faisalabad Repository.

Singh, K. (1997). A History of the Sikhs. Oxford University Press.

Singh, K. (2008). A History of the Sikhs: 1469–1839. Oxford University Press.

Spear, T. G. P. (1961). A History of India: British Period. Penguin Books.

Talbot, I. (2017). The British administration in Punjab and its legacy. Cambridge University Press.

Talbot, I. (2021). Punjab Under Colonial Rule: Administration and Governance. Routledge.

Thapar, R. (2004). Early India: From the Origins to AD 1300. University of California Press

The British Parliament. (1860). Pakistan Penal Code (Act XLV of 1860). [Available online at https://www.punjabpolice.gov.pk/system/files/pakistan-penal-code-xlv-of-1860.pdf]

The British Parliament. (1898). Code of Criminal Procedure 1898 [Pakistan], Act V; available online at https://www.fmu.gov.pk/docs/laws/Code_of_criminal_procedure_1898.pdf

The British Parliament. (1908). The Registration Act 1908. Retrieved from http://punjablaws.gov.pk/laws/36a.html.

The British Parliament. (1912). The Colonization of Government Lands (Punjab) Act, 1912 (Act V of 1912) Available online at http://punjablaws.gov.pk/laws/22.html.

Wolpert, S. (2009). A New History of India. Oxford University Press.

Yadav, B. (2014). Economic and Administrative Policies of the Mughals. Academic Press.

Downloads

Published

2025-01-30

Data Availability Statement

Data sharing not applicable to this article as no datasets were generated or analyzed during the current study 

How to Cite

Sharoon, O. . ., Mustafa, D. G. . ., & Shahrukh, M. . . (2025). From the Indus Valley civilization to British rule: Examining the evolution of governance of the Punjab and its contemporary implications. Social Sciences Spectrum, 4(1), 127-144. https://doi.org/10.71085/sss.04.01.208