Divisions of Pakistan
Second-level administrative regions of Pakistan
- 6 min read
- 7 chapters
Related on Lably
Through Tehsil, British Raj and India
These divisions do not include the Islamabad Capital Territory. The formerly Federally Administered Tribal Areas, which were counted at the same level as provinces, have been subsumed into the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and allocated to neighbouring divisions therein in 2018.
History
Administrative divisions had formed an integral tier of government from colonial times. The Governor's provinces of British India were subdivided into divisions, which were themselves subdivided into districts. At independence in 1947, the new nation of Pakistan comprised two wings – eastern and western, separated by India. Three of the provinces of Pakistan were subdivided into ten administrative divisions. The single province in the eastern wing, East Bengal, had four divisions – Chittagong, Dacca, Khulna and Rajshahi. The province of West Punjab had four divisions – Lahore, Multan, Rawalpindi and Sargodha. The North-West Frontier Province (as it was then called) had two divisions – Dera Ismail Khan and Peshawar. Most of the former Sind Province became Hyderabad Division. Most of the divisions were named after the divisional capitals, with some exceptions.
From 1955 to 1970, the One Unit policy meant that there were only two provinces – East and West Pakistan. East Pakistan had the same divisions as East Bengal had previously, but West Pakistan gradually gained seven new divisions to add to the original six. The Baluchistan States Union became Kalat Division, while the former Baluchistan Chief Commissioner's Province became Quetta Division. The princely State of Khairpur along with parts of Hyderabad division formed Khairpur Division. The former princely state of Bahawalpur became Bahawalpur Division, therefore joining West Punjab. The Federal Capital Territory was absorbed into West Pakistan in 1959, and merged with the district of Las Bela to form the Karachi-Bela Division in 1960. In 1969, the princely states of Chitral, Dir and Swat were incorporated into West Pakistan as the division of Malakand, with Saidu as the divisional headquarters. In 1975, Khairpur division was abolished and replaced with Sukkur Division. In 1980, Sukkur division was bifurcated to create Larkana division. In 1990, Mirpurkhas division created by bifurcation of Hyderabad division.
Sign in to keep reading
6 more chapters are free with a Lably account.
New Divisions
When West Pakistan was dissolved, the divisions were regrouped into four new provinces. Gradually over the late 1970s, new divisions were formed; Hazara and Kohat divisions were split from Peshawar Division; Gujranwala Division was formed from parts of Lahore and Rawalpindi divisions; Dera Ghazi Khan Division was split from Multan Division; Faisalabad Division was split from Sargodha Division; Sibi Division was formed from parts of Kalat and Quetta divisions; Lasbela District was transferred from Karachi Division to Kalat Division; Makran Division split from Kalat Division. The name of Khairpur Division was changed to Sukkur Division and Headquarters of Khairpur Division shifted from khairpur to Sukkur. Shaheed Benazirabad is also a new division in Sindh.
During the military rule of General Zia-ul-Haq, the Advisory Council of Islamize Ideology (headed by Justice Tanzilur Rahman) was tasked with finding ways to Islamic the country. One of its recommendations was that the existing four provinces should be dissolved and the twenty administrative divisions should become new provinces in a federal structure with greater devolution of power, but this proposal was never implemented.
In the recent past (i.e. in last three decades), Naseerabad Division was split from Sibi Division; Zhob Division was split from Quetta Division; Bannu Division was split from Dera Ismail Khan Division; Mardan Division was split from Peshawar Division; Larkana Division were split from Sukkur Division and Shaheed Benazirabad Division Mirpur Khas Division was split from Hyderabad Division. Sahiwal Division was formed from parts of Lahore and Multan Divisions while Sheikhupura Division was formed from Lahore and Faisalabad Divisions. The capital of Kalat Division was moved from Kalat to Khuzdar. Rakhshan Division is recently added to Balochistan comprising parts of Quetta and Kalat Divisions with capital at Kharan.
In June 2021, Loralai Division was added to Balochistan, by splitting off from Zhob Division.
In 2026, Pishin Division, Koh-e-Sulaiman Division and Lasbela Division were added to Balochistan after the Government of Balochistan launched administrative reforms and restructuring across the province, Kalat Division was abolished and renamed to Khuzdar Division. Pishin was split from Quetta Division, Koh-e-Sulaiman was split from Zhob and Loralai Divisions, and Lasbela from the former Kalat Division.
Abolition
In August 2000, local government reforms abolished the "Division" as an administrative tier and introduced a system of local government councils, with the first elections held in 2001. Following that there was radical restructuring of the local government system to implement "the principle of subsidiarity, whereby all functions that can be effectively performed at the local level are transferred to that level". This meant devolution of many functions, to districts and tehsils, which were previously handled at the provincial and divisional levels. At abolition, there were twenty-six divisions in Pakistan proper – five in Sindh, six in Balochistan, seven in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and eight in Punjab. Abolition did not affect the three divisions of Azad Kashmir, which form the second tier of government.
Restoration
In 2008, after the public elections, the new government decided to restore the divisions of all provinces.
In Sindh after the lapse of the Local Governments Bodies term in 2010 the Divisional Commissioners system was to be restored.
In July 2011, following excessive violence in the city of Karachi and after the political split between the ruling PPP and the majority party in Sindh, the MQM and after the resignation of the MQM Governor of Sindh, PPP and the Govt. of Sindh decided to restore the commissioner system in the province. As a consequence, the five divisions of Sindh have been restored namely, Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Mirpurkhas and Larkana with their respective districts. One new division was added in Sindh, the Shaheed Benazirabad division.
Karachi district has been de-merged into its 5 original constituent districts namely Karachi East, Karachi West, Karachi Central, Karachi South and Malir. Korangi has been upgraded to the status of a sixth district of Karachi by splitting from Karachi East District. Recently Keamari District is formed by bifurcating Karachi West District. These seven districts form the Karachi Division now.
Current divisions by administrative units
The following tables show the current total 40 divisions of Pakistan with 34 divisions by province i.e., 11 divisions of Balochistan, 7 divisions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 10 divisions of Punjab, and 6 divisions of Sindh, with their respective populations as of the 2023 Census of Pakistan, and the 6 divisions of Pakistan–administered regions of Kashmir; 3 for Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan each.
Provinces
Balochistan
In Pakistan, the division is the administrative unit, which is higher in hierarchy than a district, but lower in hierarchy than a province.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
In Pakistan, the division is the administrative unit which is higher than a district, but lower than a province. Divisions and are separated by color on the map.
Punjab
This section is an excerpt from Divisions of Punjab, Pakistan § List of divisions by population over the years.