The Government of the North West Frontier Province functions under the provisions of the Constitution of Pakistan (1973).

The Province has a Provincial Assembly with 124 elected members, constituent of 99 Regular seats, 22 seats reserved for Women and 3 seats for Non-Muslims. The Provincial Assembly elects the Chief Minister of the Province who forms a Cabinet of Ministers to look after various Departments. The Chief Minister is the Chief Executive of the Province. The Federal Government appoints a Governor as head of the Provincial Government.

The bureaucratic machinery of the province is headed by a Chief Secretary who coordinates and supervises functions of various Departments headed by Departmental Secretaries. In NWFP for the Planning & Development Department the incharge is the Additional Chief Secretary who reports to the Chief Secretary. All the Secretaries are assisted by Additional Secretaries, Deputy Secretaries, Section Officers and other staff. The Departments may have attached Departments and autonomous or semi-autonomous bodies to look after various functions.

Since the year 2001, the system of elected District Governments has been introduced. The Province is divided into 24 districts. The Districts are headed by a Zilla Nazim assisted by a District Coordination Officer, incharge of district bureaucracy. In a District the functions are devolved further to the Tehsil, Town and Union Council Governments. Each District has an elected Zilla Council, elected Tehsil, Town and Union Councils who look after various activities at their respective levels.

At district level a District Police Officer looks after the Law and Order and he reports to the Zilla Nazim. Each district has a Public Safety Commission which addresses public complaints against the Police. There is a Provincial Police Officer who is incharge of the Police system at the provincial level.