Saturday, March 29, 2025
Pakistan Revives the ‘New Provinces’ Debate: 1971 Memories Resurface as Shehbaz Government Pushes Division Policy
Summary:
Since independence, Pakistan has repeatedly debated the creation of new provinces. In 1947, the country had five provinces—East Bengal, West Punjab, Sindh, North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), and Balochistan. After the 1971 liberation war, East Bengal separated to become Bangladesh.
Published: December 09, 2025 | 03:13 PM IST
The words “Pakistan” and “division” instantly remind many of the historic 1971 split, when the Islamic Republic lost its eastern wing permanently. But the division being discussed today is very different—this time, it is a political and administrative division being openly promoted by the current Pakistani government.
According to a report by Geo TV, Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan recently announced that new, smaller provinces will indeed be created, claiming this will improve governance and public service delivery. However, experts warn that the division of provinces may cause more harm than good.
After independence in 1947, Pakistan consisted of five provinces:
East Bengal
West Punjab
Sindh
NWFP (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)
Balochistan
Following the 1971 war, East Bengal became Bangladesh. West Punjab was renamed Punjab, NWFP became Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while Sindh and Balochistan remained unchanged.
Today, separatist sentiments are growing stronger in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, even as Pakistan pushes forward with plans to reorganize its administrative map. Analysts note that these proposals come at a time when the hybrid government of General Asim Munir and PM Shehbaz Sharif faces increasing resistance and separatist movements in both provinces.
According to Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper, Abdul Aleem Khan’s remarks follow a series of seminars and media debates. Representing the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP)—a coalition partner of the Shehbaz government—he has proposed dividing Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa into three provinces each.
He argued that neighboring countries manage many smaller provinces and Pakistan should follow suit for better governance.
However, the ruling coalition’s largest partner, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), strongly opposes the division of Sindh. In November, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah warned that the PPP would not tolerate any attempt to split or fragment Sindh.
The idea of creating new provinces in Pakistan is decades old. None of the previous proposals have materialized, but this time multiple think tanks and political allies—including IPP and Karachi-based MQM-P—are openly backing the move.
MQM-P has even stated it will pursue all democratic and legal means to create new provinces through the 28th Constitutional Amendment.
Former bureaucrat and police official Syed Akhtar Ali Shah argues that the proposal requires deep constitutional, administrative and historical review. Past experiments—from Ayub Khan’s two-province system to Basic Democracy—have only deepened public grievances instead of reducing them.
He stresses that Pakistan’s core crisis is weak institutions, uneven law enforcement, and poor local governance, not the size or number of provinces. Creating more provinces without fixing these foundational problems will worsen inequality.
In a column for The Express Tribune, Shah noted that the real issue is governance failure, not administrative boundaries.
Similarly, PILDAT President Ahmed Bilal Mehboob stated that past experiences with administrative restructuring created more complications than solutions. Creating new provinces would be expensive, politically sensitive and administratively chaotic.
Experts unanimously recommend strengthening:
existing administrative systems
local governments
governance mechanisms
constitutional implementation
They caution that without addressing root issues, the creation of new provinces will only weaken Pakistan further and intensify regional grievances.
