Pakistan’s governance challenges have multiplied with its rising population, urbanisation, and widening social disparities. From Karachi to Khyber and Gwadar to Gilgit, citizens repeatedly express frustration at the inability of state institutions to deliver basic services efficiently. At the heart of this crisis lies an outdated administrative structure. With only four provinces and a handful of federally administered areas, Pakistan continues to govern more than 240 million people under a system designed for a fraction of this population. The idea of creating smaller provinces and administrative units, once considered politically sensitive, now appears not only logical but also necessary.

The demand for smaller units is not without precedent. Historically, administrative adjustments in South Asia have often been linked to governance needs. During British colonial rule, provinces were frequently carved out or reorganised—Bengal was partitioned in 1905, Sindh was separated from Bombay in 1936, and Baluchistan’s administrative status was modified several times. After independence, Pakistan itself went through territorial reorganisations: East Bengal became East Pakistan, West Pakistan was merged into the infamous One Unit scheme (1955–1970), and eventually, with the separation of East Pakistan in 1971, the country was reduced to the four provinces we know today.

The 1970s arrangement may have been workable for a population of 60–70 million, but with today’s fourfold increase, Pakistan’s provinces are too large to be efficiently governed. Punjab alone has over 127 million people—more than half of the national population. Running Punjab under a single provincial government not only overburdens its institutions but also fuels grievances in smaller regions such as South Punjab, Bahawalpur, and Potohar,........

© The Friday Times