Debate on new provinces gains momentum in Pakistan

Kamran Khan says Pakistan’s survival depends on creating new provinces, arguing that the country’s four-province structure can no longer handle a population of 250 million.

In his vlog, Khan said demand for new provinces is gaining strength and has become both a political and economic necessity. He pointed to a pivotal moment on Sept. 28 last year, when Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir told leading business figures that the national leadership favored a referendum on the creation of new provinces or administrative units.

Khan noted that the imbalance between Pakistan’s federal units has created governance challenges that worsen with time. Punjab, with more than 125 million people, is larger in population than 180 countries. “If Punjab were a separate country, it would be the world’s 11th most populous nation,” Khan said.

By contrast, Balochistan’s landmass is greater than that of 130 countries, but with a far smaller population. This uneven provincial structure, Khan argued, undermines governance, fuels grievances, and concentrates political power.

He compared Pakistan’s stagnant provincial map to countries where administrative expansion was routine. The United States grew from 13 to 50 states. India, born with nine provinces, now has 28 states and nine union territories. In 1966, Indian Punjab was split into three provinces—Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh—with Chandigarh placed under federal control.

Khan stressed that Pakistan has remained stuck at four provinces since 1971, when East Pakistan became Bangladesh. Although Article 239 of the Constitution allows boundary changes with a two-thirds majority, successive governments have failed to act despite public demand.

“All major parties, from PML-N to PPP to PTI, have pledged support for new provinces in their manifestos, yet none delivered,” Khan said. Proposed provinces like South Punjab, Bahawalpur, Hazara, and Potohar remain unfulfilled promises. Tribal districts and Karachi, despite contributing most of Sindh’s revenue, also press for autonomy.

Citing businessman Mian Amer Mehmood’s book, “Naye Soobon Ka Muqadma,” Khan said Pakistan should be reorganized into as many as 32 provinces to balance power and resources. Amer argued Punjab should be split into 10 provinces, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa into seven each, and Balochistan into eight.

Economic leaders back the idea. FPCCI’s patron-in-chief S.M. Tanveer said the population has grown eightfold since partition, yet the state still runs on four provinces. He argued new provinces would boost representation and attract business community support.

Khan warned that Punjab’s dominance has weakened smaller provinces’ trust in the federation, creating the perception that federal governments act as Punjab’s proxy.

Out of 336 National Assembly seats, 173 belong to Punjab. “Whoever wins Punjab wins Pakistan,” Khan said, calling it the root of recurring political imbalance.

He added that only four provinces have allowed politics to be monopolized by elite families who rotate in power. Karachi exemplifies the problem: despite generating most of Sindh’s revenue, the city remains underdeveloped.

Khan concluded that creating new provinces on administrative grounds would improve governance, cut costs, and ensure fairer resource distribution.

He said Field Marshal Asim Munir, credited with recent military success against India, could cement his legacy by delivering this long-delayed reform.