In the Name of Allah---the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
Proposed Counties of Pakistan: A Balanced Administrative Model
Introduction
Pakistan's current administrative structure consists of four provinces, the Islamabad Capital Territory, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. While this arrangement has served the country since independence, rapid population growth, urbanization, and increasing administrative demands have exposed significant governance challenges. Today, Punjab alone has a population exceeding 130 million, making it larger than many sovereign nations, while provinces such as Balochistan cover vast territories with scattered populations that are difficult to administer efficiently.
Instead of creating additional provinces through politically contentious ethnic or linguistic divisions, Pakistan could adopt an intermediate administrative model by reorganizing existing divisions into counties. These counties would become the principal sub-national administrative units while preserving the country's federal integrity.
This proposal envisions approximately twenty-two counties, formed by combining neighboring divisions that share common geography, history, economic interests, and cultural identity.
Why Pakistan Needs Administrative Reform
The provincial boundaries inherited after independence were largely shaped by colonial administrative convenience rather than modern governance requirements. Since then, Pakistan's population has increased nearly sevenfold, yet the number of major administrative units has remained almost unchanged.
Several challenges have emerged:
Provincial governments have become excessively centralized.
Remote regions often receive inadequate administrative attention.
Development funds are concentrated around provincial capitals.
Citizens in distant districts face significant bureaucratic hurdles.
Regional disparities continue to widen.
A county-based administrative system offers an opportunity to decentralize governance without weakening national unity.
Principles Behind the Proposed Counties
The proposed counties are based on several guiding principles.
1. Existing Divisional Boundaries
Rather than drawing entirely new borders, counties are formed by combining existing administrative divisions. This minimizes constitutional complications and administrative disruption.
For example:
Lahore and Gujranwala Divisions become Central Punjab County.
Rawalpindi and Sargodha Divisions become Potohar County.
Faisalabad and Sahiwal Divisions become Chenab County.
This approach preserves existing district structures while creating stronger regional administrations.
2. Geographic Continuity
Each county should form a geographically connected region.
Mountain areas remain together.
River basins remain together.
Desert regions remain together.
Coastal districts remain together.
Natural geography often creates common economic opportunities and infrastructure requirements.
3. Cultural and Historical Identity
Where possible, counties correspond with well-known historical regions such as:
Potohar
Hazara
Malakand
Bahawalpur
Makran
Baltistan
These names already possess historical legitimacy and local acceptance.
4. Balanced Population
Rather than having one province with over 130 million people and another with only around 15 million, counties would generally contain between approximately 8 and 20 million residents.
This makes public administration significantly more manageable.
Proposed Counties
Islamabad Capital County
Capital: Islamabad
This county consists solely of Islamabad Capital Territory and continues serving as Pakistan's federal capital.
Potohar County
Divisions:
Capital:
Rawalpindi
Characteristics:
Defence headquarters
Potohar Plateau
Military industries
Wheat production
Growing IT sector
Central Punjab County
Divisions:
Capital:
Lahore
Economic strengths:
Manufacturing
Higher education
Export industries
Financial services
Chenab County
Divisions:
Capital:
Faisalabad
Known for:
Textile industry
Agriculture
Dairy production
Industrial exports
Multan County
Divisions:
Capital:
Multan
Economic base:
Bahawalpur County
Division:
Capital:
Bahawalpur
Benefits:
Hazara County
Division:
Hazara
Capital:
Abbottabad
Strengths:
Tourism
Forestry
Hydropower
Education
Peshawar Valley County
Divisions:
Capital:
Peshawar
Key sectors:
Commerce
Universities
Healthcare
Border trade
Malakand County
Division:
Malakand
Capital:
Saidu Sharif
Focus:
Tourism
Fruit production
Hydroelectric projects
Kohat–Bannu County
Divisions:
Capital:
Kohat
Economic opportunities:
Oil and gas
Agriculture
Livestock
Dera Ismail Khan County
Division:
D.I. Khan
Capital:
Dera Ismail Khan
Potential:
Irrigation
Trade corridor
Agriculture
Gilgit County
Capital:
Gilgit
Primary sectors:
Baltistan County
Capital:
Skardu
Potential:
Karachi County
Capital:
Karachi
Role:
Pakistan's financial and commercial capital.
Specializations:
Ports
Banking
Shipping
International trade
Hyderabad County
Divisions:
Capital:
Hyderabad
Economy:
Agriculture
Industry
Transport
Sukkur County
Divisions:
Shaheed Benazirabad
Sukkur
Capital:
Sukkur
Key strengths:
Larkana County
Division:
Larkana
Capital:
Larkana
Characteristics:
Rice
Dates
Historical heritage
Upper Sindh County
Capital:
Sukkur
Importance:
Indus irrigation
Trade
Logistics
River transport
Quetta County
Divisions:
Capital:
Quetta
Economic role:
Provincial commerce
Mining
Border trade
Kalat County
Divisions:
Capital:
Khuzdar
Potential:
Minerals
Livestock
Transportation
Makran County
Division:
Makran
Capital:
Turbat
Strategic significance:
Gwadar Port
Fisheries
Blue economy
Coastal tourism
Rakhshan County
Divisions:
Capital:
Chagai (or Dera Murad Jamali)
Strengths:
Mining
Agriculture
Solar energy
Below is an approximate table based on the 2023 Census, existing divisional boundaries, and estimated areas obtained by aggregating constituent districts. Population and area figures are rounded and should be treated as planning estimates rather than official statistics.
| Proposed County | Constituent Division(s) | Capital | Approx. Area (km²) | Approx. Population (2023) |
|---|
| Islamabad Capital County | Islamabad Capital Territory | Islamabad | 906 | 2.4 million |
| Potohar County | Rawalpindi + Sargodha | Rawalpindi | 42,500 | 16.5 million |
| Central Punjab County | Lahore + Gujranwala | Lahore | 29,500 | 26.5 million |
| Chenab County | Faisalabad + Sahiwal | Faisalabad | 33,000 | 20.8 million |
| Multan County | Multan + Dera Ghazi Khan | Multan | 72,000 | 16.2 million |
| Bahawalpur County | Bahawalpur | Bahawalpur | 45,600 | 6.5 million |
| Hazara County | Hazara | Abbottabad | 18,000 | 5.5 million |
| Peshawar Valley County | Peshawar + Mardan | Peshawar | 12,000 | 10.7 million |
| Malakand County | Malakand | Saidu Sharif | 28,500 | 8.7 million |
| Kohat–Bannu County | Kohat + Bannu | Kohat | 28,000 | 5.8 million |
| Dera Ismail Khan County | D.I. Khan | D.I. Khan | 23,000 | 2.3 million |
| Gilgit County | Gilgit Division | Gilgit | 38,000 | 0.65 million |
| Baltistan County | Baltistan Division | Skardu | 27,000 | 0.55 million |
| Karachi County | Karachi Division | Karachi | 3,780 | 20.4 million |
| Hyderabad County | Hyderabad + Mirpurkhas | Hyderabad | 33,500 | 10.2 million |
| Sukkur County | Sukkur + Shaheed Benazirabad | Sukkur | 54,000 | 9.6 million |
| Larkana County | Larkana | Larkana | 15,500 | 5.2 million |
| Quetta County | Quetta + Zhob | Quetta | 57,000 | 4.3 million |
| Kalat County | Kalat + Sibi | Khuzdar | 89,000 | 2.1 million |
| Makran County | Makran | Turbat | 47,000 | 1.8 million |
| Rakhshan County | Rakhshan + Nasirabad | Chagai (or Dera Murad Jamali) | 93,000 | 2.7 million |
Summary
| Item | Value |
|---|
| Number of Counties | 21 |
| Total Area | ≈ 881,000 km² |
| Total Population | ≈ 241 million |
Observations
Largest by Area: Rakhshan County (~93,000 km²)
Second Largest: Kalat County (~89,000 km²)
Smallest by Area: Islamabad Capital County (906 km²)
Most Populous: Central Punjab County (~26.5 million)
Second Most Populous: Chenab County (~20.8 million)
Third Most Populous: Karachi County (~20.4 million)
Least Populous: Baltistan County (~0.55 million)
This arrangement produces counties that are generally more balanced than the current provinces while preserving historical and geographical identities. The only remaining very populous counties are Central Punjab, Chenab, and Karachi, reflecting Pakistan's major urban and industrial corridors.
Advantages of the County System
Better Governance
Smaller administrative units allow government departments to remain closer to citizens.
Decisions become faster.
Monitoring improves.
Corruption becomes easier to detect.
Balanced Development
Large provinces often prioritize their capital cities.
Counties would spread investment across multiple regional capitals, encouraging more equitable development.
Improved Infrastructure Planning
Each county can prepare infrastructure plans tailored to its own needs.
Examples include:
Tourism in Hazara and Baltistan
Ports in Makran
Industry in Central Punjab
Agriculture in Chenab
Mining in Quetta and Rakhshan
Reduced Political Polarization
The proposal is administrative rather than ethnic.
It avoids creating provinces based solely on language or ethnicity.
Instead, counties are built around functional administrative regions.
Stronger Local Democracy
County governments could have directly elected councils and executives responsible for:
Education
Healthcare
Transport
Regional planning
Local policing
Disaster management
District governments would continue handling local municipal services.
Economic Competitiveness
Smaller regional governments tend to compete in attracting investment.
Each county can develop:
Healthy competition among counties often leads to improved governance and innovation.
Administrative Efficiency
Many countries with successful governance systems rely on medium-sized regional units rather than a few oversized provinces.
Examples include:
Pakistan can adapt these lessons while preserving its own constitutional framework.
Constitutional Considerations
The county model does not necessarily require abolishing the federation.
Instead, provinces could be reorganized into counties through constitutional reform, or counties could function as strengthened regional governments within a revised federal framework.
A phased implementation—starting with administrative decentralization before broader constitutional changes—would allow institutions to adapt gradually while minimizing disruption.
Challenges
Several issues would require careful planning:
Constitutional amendments.
Redistribution of provincial assets.
Civil service restructuring.
Revenue-sharing mechanisms.
Election of county governments.
Public acceptance.
Transition costs.
These challenges are significant but manageable through gradual implementation.
Conclusion
Pakistan's governance challenges are increasingly those of scale rather than merely resources. Provinces with populations larger than many countries face immense administrative burdens, while remote regions often remain underserved. A county-based administrative model offers a practical path toward more responsive government by bringing decision-making closer to citizens without undermining national cohesion.
By organizing neighboring divisions into geographically coherent, economically viable, and historically recognizable counties, Pakistan could achieve a more balanced distribution of development, improve public service delivery, strengthen local democracy, and reduce regional disparities. Counties such as Potohar, Hazara, Central Punjab, Makran, Bahawalpur, and Baltistan reflect identities that are already familiar to the public while creating governance units that are more manageable than the existing provinces.
Although constitutional, political, and administrative challenges would accompany such a transformation, they are not insurmountable. With careful planning and phased implementation, a county system could modernize Pakistan's administrative framework for the twenty-first century—making government more efficient, equitable, and accountable while preserving the country's federal character and national unity.
