Military Lands and Cantonments Group
The Military Lands & Cantonments Group ( ML & C) is responsible for administering the Military Lands & Cantonments Department(the ML&C department includes its head office, six regional directorates, eleven Military Estate Offices and 43 Cantonment Boards.) which in turn looks after the various Cantonment Boards and military estates that do not fall within the domain of the civil municipal/district administrations of the respective cities / towns. The department is headed by the Director General, Military Lands & Cantonments (BS-21). He is followed in hierarchy by an Additional Director General (BS-20), assisted by five Regional Directors (BS-20) (i.e. Karachi, Quetta, Lahore Rawalpindi & Peshawar). They in turn are followed by Cantonment Executive Officers (CEOs) and Military Estates Officers (MEOs).

In majority of the cantonments there are CEOs and a MEOs. In some of the stations there is only a CEO. In some of the cities there are more than one cantonments. e.g in Rawalpindi there is Rawalpindi Cantt and Chaklala Cantt. In Lahore there is Lahore and Walton Cantt. In Karachi there are probably 6-7 Cantts which include Faisal, Clifton, Malir etc etc.

17 - 19 Grade Officers are posted as CEOs and MEOs in small stations like Risalpur, Mangla, Kharian, Havelian etc. BS-17 officers are usually posted. BS-18 officers are posted to Gujranwala, Sargodha, Hyderabad, Abbottabad or as Additional CEO in big cities. 19 grade officers are posted as CEOs and MEOs at Peshawar, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan, Karachi and Quetta.

In MLCG living standard is very high. Big beautiful banglows in posh cantonment areas, cars, almost ten designated servants and many more facilities like phone, newspaper etc are the norm. When promoted to BS-19, officers usually get two cars. The houses are furnished at the will of the officers. MLCG rest houses are in every major city. One can live up to many months even in the rest houses if needed.

Although there is no political pressure or interference on officers but there is significant Military interference. For example, CEO Peshawar (BS-19) has to work with the Station Commander (normally a Brigadier) and GOC (Maj Gen or Lt Gen). Although MLCG officers do not come directly under the GOC, however due to their seniority, MLCG officers are required to give due deference to them. It is said that if an officer maintains good relations with the Cantonment's Station Commander and GOC, he literally lives like a Kinf in the cantonment.

Induction in this group was ceased by Gen. Musharraf for 8 years, which resulted in shortage of officers. This means that MLCG officers can expect rapid promotion from BS-17 to BS-18. However, due to shortage of senior level positions most MLCG Officers retire at BS-20. MLCG traditionally has no or limited Specialised Training and freshly inducted officers can expect to join the field within weeks of completing their CTP.

The domain of the executive officers extends to cantonments in which they perform municipal and quasi-judicial functions. The executive officers have to generate the funds by levying different taxes/charges. Responsibilities of CEO include Property Tax Assessment; House Tax collection; Water Tax collection; Sewerage Tax collection; Mutation on leased land/private property sale; awarding advertisement spots bsedies fixing advertisement rates; professional practice license; professional tax; water connection; maintenance and repair of roads, fountains, parks; project management etc.

Administration of Cantonments
Prior to 1864, cantonments used to be administered by military authorities under various Government Orders. In 1864, for the first time, an Act was adopted for improving the administration of the cantonments. A magistrate was appointed to administer the area. The Act also regulated the funds granted by Government for the purpose of bettering the various facilities.
In 1880, another Act was passed to empower the cantonment authority to impose taxes and legal status was given to the cantonment committee. The Act gave power to impose fines and penalties for non-payment of taxes and for encroachments. After the first world war for reaching political changes took place in the sub-continent and it affected the administration of the cantonments as well. The changes also be-part of cantonment’s day-to-day life, had to be associated with its working.
The Cantonments Act, 1924 was the landmark in the history of cantonments as it brought in its wake some sweeping changes. The Act introduced the representative local government system under which elected representative of the civil population became members of the Cantonment Boards. The Board were created as autonomous statutory local bodies for providing civil services. The powers and functions of the Cantonment Board are synonymous to Municipal Committees in the cities. The members constituting the Board are both officially nominated as well as elected through a direct vote on the basis of adult franchise. Officials nominated as members obviously hold the majority and the Station Commander, who is a senior military officer, is the ex-officio President of the Board. This is to protect the interest of troops and ensure their welfare and discipline.
The administration of Cantonments and management of the military lands inside and outside the cantonments is centrally controlled and supervised by the Military Lands and Cantonments Department which is an attached department of the Ministry of Defence headed by a Director General. The Director General is assisted by an Additional Director and a Deputy Director at the headquarter. In addition five Regional Deputy Director based at Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Karachi and Quetta supervise the respective Cantonment Boards in their jurisdiction. The Cantonment Executive Officer is the principal executive at the local level. The Board normally decides and lays down policies and the Executive Officer executes these policies. He is the chief exponent of the Board’s policies. He acts as an adviser and is a permanent Officer specially trained in local administration. He is sufficiently empowered to carry out the policies and decisions and ensure adherence to the various laws and bye-laws. The presence of elected members in the Board has a salutary effect and is most beneficial for the civilian residents because they are the media to convey their views. The elected members play an important role in the development of public services in their respective areas. Development works are usually carried out in consultation with the respective elected members. Major development schemes are finalized in the Budget meeting held before the beginning of the fiscal year, with the consent of all the members.
The Cantonment Board is an organ of the local government and is free to formulate policies for local development within the frame work of the Cantonments Act and other Government Regulations. The Board ordinarily holds on meeting every month. All matters are decided by majority but in case of a tie, the matter is decided through the Presidents casting vote. All meetings of the Board are open meetings unless specifically directed otherwise by the President of the Board.
All Cantonments Board work under the administrative control of the Director General, Military Lands and Cantonments. The Director General issues various directives on important policy matters from time to time and the Cantonment Boards comply with the same. All accounts are audited annually by the Audit Department of the Government of Pakistan.

Each cantonment board is headed by a President Cantonment Board who is a serving armed forces officer and the cantonment executive officer is the Secretary of the Board.

Balochistan

Khuzdar Cantonment
Loralai Cantonment
Ormara Cantonment
Quetta Cantonment
Zhob Cantonment

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Abbottabad Cantonment
Bannu Cantonment
Dera Ismail Khan Cantonment
Kohat Cantonment
Mardan Cantonment
Nowshera Cantonment
Peshawar Cantonment
Risalpur Cantonment
Havelian Cantonment
Kala Bagh/Murree Galies Cantonment

Punjab

Attock Cantonment
Sanjwal Cantonment (adjacent to Attock Cantt about 5 KM distance)
Bhawalpur Cantonment
Chaklala Cantonment
Gujranwala Cantonment
Jhelum Cantonment
Kamra Cantonment
Kharian Cantonment
Mangla Cantonment
Multan Cantonment
Murree Hills Cantonment
Okara Cantonment
Rawalpindi Cantonment
Sargodha Cantonment
Shorkot Cantonment (PAF Rafiqui)
Sialkot Cantonment
Taxila Cantonment
Lahore Cantonment
Wah Cantonment
Walton Cantonment (Created out of the southern parts of the original Lahore Cantt.)

Sindh

Clifton Cantonment, Karachi
Faisal Cantonment, Karachi
Hyderabad Cantonment
Karachi Cantonment
Korangi Creek Cantonment, Karachi
Malir Cantonment, Karachi
Manora Cantonment, Karachi
Pano Aqil Cantonment

43 Cantonment Boards in Pakistan

e.g cantonment board peshawar:
Duties and Functions of the Board

Duties of the Board
1. Lighting streets and other public places.
2. Watering streets and other public places.
3. Cleaning street, public places and drains abating nuisances and removing noxious vegetation.
4. Regulating offensive, dangerous or obnoxious trades calling and practices.
5. Removing on ground of public safety, health and convenience, undesirable obstructions and projections in street and other public places.
6. Securing or removing dangerous building and places.
7. Acquiring, maintaining, changing and regulating places for the disposal of the dead.
8. Constructing, altering and maintaining streets, culverts, markets, slaughter houses, latrines, privies, urinals, drainage works and sewerage work.
9. Planting and maintaining trees on roadsides and other public places.
10. Providing or arranging for a sufficient supply of pure and wholesome water, where such supply does not exist, guarding from polluted water used for human consumption and preventing polluted water from being so used.
11. Registering births and deaths.
12. Establishing and maintaining or assisting primary school.
13. Establishing and maintaining a system of public vaccination.
14. Establishing and maintaining public hospital and dispensaries.
15. Rendering assistance in extinguishing fires and protecting life and properties when fire occurs.
16. Maintaining and developing the value of property vested in or entrusted to the management of the board ; and
17. Fulfilling any other obligations imposed upon it by or under this act or any other law for the time being enforce.

Discretionary Functions of the Cantonment Board
1. Laying out in areas, whether previously built upon or not, new street and acquiring land for the purpose and for the construction of buildings and compounds of buildings, to a butt on such streets;
2. Constructing, establishing or maintaining public parks, garden, offices, dairies, bathing or washing places, drinking fountains, tanks, wells and other works of public utility.
3. Furthering educational objects by measures other then the establishment and maintenance of primary schools ;
4. Taking a census and granting rewards for information which may tend to secure the correct registration of vital statistics.
5. Making a survey;
6. Giving relief on the occurrence of local epidemics by the establishment and maintenance of relief works or otherwise.
7. Securing or assisting to secure suitable places for the carrying on of any offensive, dangerous or obnoxious trade, calling or occupation ;
8. Establishing and maintaining a farms or other places for the disposal of sewage ;
9. Constructing, subsidizing or guaranteeing tramways or other means of locomotion, and electric lighting or electric power works; or
10. Adopting any measure likely to promote the safety, health or convenience of the inhabitants of the cantonment.
Structure
e.g structure of cantonment board peshawar goes like this:

for further information on cantonment board peshawar:CANTONMENT BOARD PESHAWAR(source)

cantonment board of lahore can be checked at this link:

LAHORE CANTONMENT BOARD

cantonment board clifton:
Canttonment Board Clifton