Pakistan To Be Divided Once Again, Experts Warn Of Turbulent Road Ahead | World News
New Delhi: Pakistan is discussing an internal restructuring plan that came to the fore after years of hesitation. Federal Minister Abdul Aleem Khan said that the country is now moving towards creating smaller provinces, a step that could change the way the country is governed at the administrative level. The proposal has renewed questions about whether redrawing provincial borders would improve governance or risk creating new problems at a time when the country is already under pressure.
Khan announced on 7 December that smaller provinces “will definitely be created” and insisted that the change would boost provincial performance and improve day-to-day administration.
Pakistan’s political class has been discussing such restructuring since Independence. In 1947, the new nation consisted of East Bengal, West Punjab, Sindh, North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Balochistan. The story took a different turn in 1971 when East Bengal became Bangladesh.
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In the following years, West Punjab became Punjab, NWFP was renamed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while Sindh and Balochistan retained their identities. This map has stood firm ever since, although arguments for change continue to re-emerge.
States Under Pressure as Islamabad on New Map
The renewed move comes at a time when the coalition government, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and backed by the military establishment, is facing strong demands for autonomy from Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Khan’s statement, highlighted by Dawn, came after a series of public events where panellists, commentators and political actors revived the idea of dividing states into smaller units.
Speaking at a convention of the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP), he said that the move would help bring “administrative control” closer to the people. He noted that each of the four provinces (Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) could eventually be divided into three parts.
“There are a few small provinces in all the neighboring countries around us,” he said, pointing to regional examples frequently cited by Pakistan’s policymakers.
Although the IPP is part of the Sharif-led coalition, the largest civilian partner is the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). PPP has long maintained the territorial unity of Sindh and its leadership has not softened its position. In November, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah stressed that his party would resist any attempt to divide the province.
Still, this time the idea is gaining political support. Many think tanks and coalition partners, including the Muttahida Qaumi Movement – Pakistan (MQM-P), have expressed support for the creation of new provinces through the proposed 28th Amendment. The MQM-P promised to use “all legal and democratic means” to implement the plan.
Experts Fear Weak Systems Will Be Heavily Loaded
As political interest in redrawing the map grows, governance and public administration experts are urging caution.
Senior bureaucrat Syed Akhtar Ali Shah warned that discussions around more provinces required a deeper constitutional and historical assessment. Writing in The Express Tribune, he said Pakistan had tested various governance structures in the past – from Ayub Khan’s two-state formula to later decentralization initiatives – but these initiatives often produced new problems rather than alleviating existing ones.
He underlined that Pakistan’s long-standing problems stem from weak institutions, unequal application of laws and lack of accountability. He argued that these gaps play a role in many of Pakistan’s governance challenges.
“The biggest problem facing Pakistan is not the number of provinces but the gaps in governance that are deeply intertwined with the rule of law,” he wrote.
According to him, creating new provincial lines without repairing the internal mechanism could increase the pressure on the already strained system.
Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, chairman of think tank Pildat, also echoed this view in Dawn. Previous attempts at administrative restructuring had resulted in deepening rather than easing resentment, he wrote. He explained that establishing new states requires enormous resources and complex negotiations.
He added that Pakistan’s problems are not due to the size of the provinces but to the limited delegation of powers to local governments.
Both experts underline the need for stronger district-level governance and genuine power sharing at the local level, in line with constitutional requirements. They argue that this approach will improve service delivery much more reliably than changing boundaries on a map.
Controversy Returns with Old Memories, New Risks
Pakistan continues political talks on new provinces, and the debate has an urgency not seen in years. Experts warn that the country risks repeating past missteps if it pursues administrative restructuring without addressing the fundamental problems straining its institutions.
Currently, Pakistan is re-evaluating the potential of creating new provincial borders while facing challenges in the current system of governance. This debate is influenced by history and carries unpredictable consequences.
