A PMS officer serving as Assistant Commissioner in Lahore reviewing administrative files at a government office in Punjab Pakistan

Lahore, the capital of Punjab and Pakistan’s second-largest city, now operates with ten tehsils and a dedicated Assistant Commissioner overseeing each one. These PMS and PAS officers handle everything from law and order to land records. Here is everything you need to know about the list of Assistant Commissioners in Lahore, their tehsil responsibilities, and how the system works.

Why Lahore Needed More Assistant Commissioners

Lahore is not just a large city  it is one of the fastest-growing urban centres in all of South Asia. Managing its population, land disputes, civic complaints, price controls, and day-to-day administration is a task that has always demanded strong district governance.

For many years, Lahore operated with five tehsils and five Assistant Commissioners. That changed significantly in August 2024 when the Punjab government, under the instructions of the Chief Minister, issued a formal notification through the Board of Revenue expanding the administrative structure of the city.

Five new tehsils were officially created, bringing the total number of tehsils in Lahore to ten. At the same time, five additional Assistant Commissioners were appointed to manage these new administrative units. According to a Board of Revenue spokesperson at the time, this made Lahore the city with the largest number of tehsils in Punjab.

How Many Assistant Commissioners Are There in Lahore?

Following the August 2024 administrative reorganization, Lahore now has ten Assistant Commissioners  one for each tehsil. Each AC reports to the Deputy Commissioner of Lahore, who in turn reports to the Commissioner of Lahore Division.

The ten tehsils of Lahore, and the Assistant Commissioners assigned to each, cover all areas of the city including its older urban core, newer suburban zones, and revenue belt regions on the outskirts.

The Ten Tehsils of Lahore and Their Assistant Commissioners

Lahore’s ten tehsils were formed by retaining and revising five existing ones while adding five newly notified administrative divisions. The full list of tehsils, along with the names of recent or last-known Assistant Commissioners where officially confirmed, is as follows.

The five existing tehsils that were retained and reorganized are:

  • Tehsil Raiwind — covers Raiwind, Paji, Manga, and Maraka revenue circles
  • Tehsil Model Town — includes Ichhra and Model Town revenue circles
  • Tehsil Lahore Cantt — covers Lahore Cantt and Bhangali circles
  • Tehsil Shalimar — includes Baghbanpura and Fatehgarh circles
  • Tehsil City (Lahore City) — covers Lahore Khas, Sanda, and Nawankot

The five newly created tehsils, notified in August 2024 by the Board of Revenue, are:

  • Tehsil Nishtar — formed from the Pandoki, Kahna, and Kamahan revenue circles
  • Tehsil Wagah — comprises Jallo, Bhaseen, and Lakhudair circles
  • Tehsil Allama Iqbal (Iqbal Town) — encompasses Chuhng and Niaz Beg circles
  • Tehsil Ravi — formed with Shahdara and Naulakha circles
  • Tehsil Saddar — covers Barki, Heir, and Jahman circles

When the five new tehsils were notified, the Punjab government also immediately appointed five new Assistant Commissioners to take charge of them. According to an official notification issued at the time, Abdul Basit Siddiqui was posted as AC Saddar, Khawaja Muhammad Umair Mahmood was appointed AC Allama Iqbal (Iqbal Town), and Muhammad Saleem was posted as AC Nishtar. Muhammad Amir was transferred and posted as AC Wagah, while Tariq Shabbir was assigned as AC Ravi tehsil.

These postings reflect the standard PMS and PAS appointment process managed by the Services and General Administration Department (S&GAD) of Punjab.

Assistant Commissioner Ravi Lahore

Tehsil Ravi is one of the five newly created administrative divisions in Lahore, notified by the Board of Revenue in August 2024. It was formed using the Shahdara and Naulakha revenue circles, covering areas in the northern parts of the city around the Ravi River.

At the time of its creation, Tariq Shabbir was assigned as the Assistant Commissioner Ravi Lahore, having been transferred from the Services and General Administration Department where he had been awaiting posting. The AC Ravi Lahore handles all standard tehsil-level duties in this zone including land transfers, magistracy functions, price monitoring, and public administration.

Tehsil Ravi covers a significant portion of the older city geography near the historic Ravi riverbed, and its AC plays an important role in managing both urban and semi-urban communities in that corridor.

Assistant Commissioner Iqbal Town Lahore

Tehsil Allama Iqbal, more commonly referred to as Iqbal Town tehsil, was also notified in August 2024 as one of the five new administrative units added to Lahore. It was formed from the Chuhng and Niaz Beg revenue circles, covering areas in the southern and south-western parts of the city.

When this tehsil was established, Khawaja Muhammad Umair Mahmood was officially posted as the Assistant Commissioner Iqbal Town Lahore. He was placed at the disposal of the Lahore Division Commissioner and then assigned to the newly created position.

The Iqbal Town tehsil covers densely populated residential areas and important civic zones, making the role of AC Iqbal Town Lahore one of the busier field postings in the city’s administration.

Assistant Commissioner Model Town Lahore

Tehsil Model Town is one of the five existing tehsils of Lahore that was retained after the August 2024 reorganization. Its revised revenue circles include Ichhra and the original Model Town area. It covers one of Lahore’s most prominent and historically significant residential and commercial zones.

The Assistant Commissioner Model Town Lahore manages revenue cases, land attestation, law and order monitoring, encroachment removal, and public complaint resolution for this jurisdiction. The position is typically held by a BPS-17 officer from the PMS cadre who has completed the required training through the Management and Professional Development Department (MPDD) in Lahore.

Due to the frequent transfer and posting culture in Punjab’s bureaucracy, the specific name of the incumbent AC Model Town changes periodically following Punjab government notifications. For the most current name of the Assistant Commissioner Model Town Lahore, residents and journalists are advised to check the latest posting orders from the Services and General Administration Department or the Office of the Deputy Commissioner Lahore.

Female Assistant Commissioner in Lahore

The Punjab civil service has seen a significant and growing presence of female officers at the Assistant Commissioner level across districts, and Lahore is no exception to this broader trend.

Female PMS and PAS officers have been regularly appointed as Assistant Commissioners across Lahore’s tehsils and in related administrative posts under the Lahore Division. For example, a female officer named Fatima Arshad was posted as Cantonment AC Lahore following a major notification in 2024, having previously been at the disposal of the Lahore Commissioner. Similarly, Wajiha Samreen, who had served as Assistant Commissioner HR and Coordination Lahore, was later transferred and posted as AC Nankana Sahib.

These examples reflect an ongoing effort by the Punjab government to ensure women are represented at the field administration level across the province. The appointment of female assistant commissioners in Lahore is no longer a rare occurrence  it is part of the standard posting cycle across the PMS and PAS cadres.

What Does PMS Stand for in the Context of Assistant Commissioner?

PMS stands for Provincial Management Service. It is the provincial-level civil service through which Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan recruit their own administrative officers. PMS officers in Punjab are selected through an examination conducted by the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC).

Once a candidate passes the PMS examination, they are required to complete six months of mandatory training at the Management and Professional Development Department (MPDD) in Lahore. After that, they may be assigned as an Assistant Commissioner Under Training (AC-UT) for a three-month period before being confirmed in a permanent field posting.

PMS officers are posted as Assistant Commissioners within Punjab only, whereas CSS officers recruited through the federal FPSC are inducted into the Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS) and can be posted anywhere in the country. Both PMS and PAS officers are eligible for appointment as Assistant Commissioner in Lahore.

What Is the Job of an Assistant Commissioner in Pakistan?

The role of an Assistant Commissioner in Pakistan is one of the most demanding and wide-ranging positions in the country’s entire civil service structure. An AC is the administrative head of a tehsil, the lowest unit of district governance, and holds dual responsibility as both a revenue officer and a sub-divisional magistrate.

In practical terms, an Assistant Commissioner in Lahore or any other city handles all of the following:

Law and Order: The AC holds magisterial authority under CrPC, including the power to impose Section 144 orders, control public gatherings, and coordinate with local police to maintain peace.

Revenue Administration: As an Assistant Collector, the AC supervises land record entries, approves land transfer deeds, handles revenue disputes, and oversees patwaris and tehsildars in their area.

Price Control: The AC monitors prices of essential commodities in local markets, takes action against hoarding or profiteering, and ensures government-notified prices are being followed.

Wheat Procurement: During wheat season, Assistant Commissioners play a central role in coordinating grain procurement operations and monitoring storage facilities.

Disaster Management: In the event of flooding, fire, or other emergencies in their tehsil, the AC serves as the first responder from the civil administration side, coordinating relief and reporting to the DC.

Education and Health Monitoring: The AC is responsible for periodic inspection of government schools, hospitals, and basic health units in their jurisdiction.

Public Complaints: Citizens can approach the AC directly with civic complaints, domicile certificate issues, encroachment reports, and other administrative grievances.

In short, the Assistant Commissioner is the face of the government for ordinary citizens at the most local level of administration. In a city like Lahore with ten tehsils, each AC effectively manages a population that in many countries would constitute an entire district or province.

How Assistant Commissioners Are Transferred in Lahore

Postings and transfers of Assistant Commissioners in Lahore are managed by the Services and General Administration Department (S&GAD) of the Punjab government. Notifications are issued periodically  sometimes monthly, sometimes in larger batches  reassigning officers between tehsils, districts, and administrative roles.

In one notable April 2025 reshuffle, the Punjab government transferred and posted 33 Assistant Commissioners across various districts in a single notification. Officers are sometimes placed at the disposal of the Lahore Division Commissioner before being assigned to specific tehsil positions, which is a common interim status in PMS posting orders.

Residents who need to find the current name of the Assistant Commissioner for a specific Lahore tehsil are advised to check the official website of the Deputy Commissioner Lahore or contact the office directly, since appointments change frequently.

The Administrative Chain in Lahore

Understanding where an Assistant Commissioner fits within Lahore’s administration helps explain both the importance and the boundaries of the role.

The Commissioner of Lahore Division heads the entire divisional administration and oversees multiple districts. The Deputy Commissioner of Lahore District (currently Syed Musa Raza, appointed in August 2024) sits directly above the ten Assistant Commissioners in the city. Each AC reports to the DC, and the DC reports to the Commissioner.

In terms of career progression, an Assistant Commissioner posted at BPS-17 can be promoted to Deputy Commissioner at BPS-18 after approximately five years of service. Further promotions lead to Additional Secretary at BPS-19, Commissioner at BPS-20, and eventually Secretary or higher positions in Punjab’s civil service hierarchy.

FAQs

What does PMS stand for in the context of an Assistant Commissioner?

PMS stands for Provincial Management Service, which is the provincial civil service of Pakistan’s provinces most notably Punjab, where the PPSC (Punjab Public Service Commission) conducts a competitive examination to select candidates for administrative roles. When someone refers to an “Assistant Commissioner PMS,” they mean an AC who was recruited through the provincial examination route rather than the federal CSS examination, which leads to the Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS). In Punjab, PMS officers are among the most common officers appointed as Assistant Commissioners in cities like Lahore. After passing the PPSC PMS examination, candidates undergo six months of mandatory training at the MPDD in Lahore and a further three-month field attachment as AC Under Training before taking up a full posting. 

How many Assistant Commissioners are there in Lahore?

As of August 2024, there are ten Assistant Commissioners in Lahore  one for each of the city’s ten tehsils. This number doubled from the earlier five after the Punjab government notified the creation of five new tehsils through the Board of Revenue. The five existing tehsils Raiwind, Model Town, Lahore Cantt, Shalimar, and Lahore City were retained and revised, while the five new ones  Nishtar, Wagah, Allama Iqbal (Iqbal Town), Ravi, and Saddar were added through the 2024 notification. Each AC reports to the Deputy Commissioner of Lahore and is responsible for the complete tehsil-level administration of their assigned area. This makes Lahore the city with the highest number of Assistant Commissioner postings of any district in Punjab. The large number of ACs is necessary given Lahore’s massive population, complex land records, dense urban settlement, and the volume of public complaints and administrative tasks generated daily across different zones of the city.

What is the job of an Assistant Commissioner in Pakistan?

An Assistant Commissioner in Pakistan is the administrative head of a tehsil, the smallest formal unit in the district governance system. The role combines responsibilities across several areas simultaneously, making it one of the most demanding and impactful positions in Pakistan’s civil service at the junior officer level. The AC functions as a sub-divisional magistrate with authority to impose Section 144 CrPC orders, manage law and order situations, and coordinate directly with the police. As an Assistant Collector, the AC handles land revenue matters including approval of land transfers, domicile certification, attestation of documents, and resolution of revenue disputes between citizens. The AC also oversees price control of essential commodities in local markets, coordinates wheat procurement during harvest season, manages disaster response in emergency situations, and regularly monitors government schools, hospitals, and health units within the tehsil.