A sherwan or union council in Pakistan is an elected local government body consisting of 21 councillors, and headed by a nazim (which is equivalent to a mayor) and a naib nazim (deputy). Union councils are the fifth tier of government in Pakistan and are often known as village councils in rural areas, the territory represented by a village council usually comprises a large village and surrounding areas, often including nearby small villages. The term "union council" may be used for localities that are part of cities.
Headed by a union nazim, each union council has 13 elected members or councillors. In addition to four male and two female members elected directly, there are two male and two female representatives of the labour, a minority member, a union nazim and his deputy known as union naib nazim. Beside elected members, there are several government employees and functionaries in every union council, who report to the secretary of the union council. The latter is a civil servant appointed by the state.
The territory of a union council or village council is usually part of a tehsil (a district subdivision). Less commonly, a union council may be part of a city district.
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