Pakistan’s debate over creating new provinces has resurfaced after Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi called for new administrative units, while an unverified map circulating on social media has added fresh momentum to the discussion.

The viral map, which has not been endorsed by any government official, depicts Pakistan’s four provinces divided into 18 administrative units.

It proposes splitting Punjab into six provinces, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan into four each, and Sindh into three, while Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir are shown as separate administrative units.

The renewed debate follows Naqvi’s remarks at an economic summit in Islamabad on Thursday, where he said the country’s existing governance system had “failed” and argued that creating new administrative units was essential to improving governance.

He said political parties should sit together to build consensus, warning that Pakistan’s problems would persist if the current administrative structure remained unchanged.

Government voices back administrative reforms

Several government figures have echoed the proposal.

Federal Minister and Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) President Abdul Aleem Khan said each of Pakistan’s four provinces should be divided into three administrative units to bring government services closer to the people.

In a post on X, Aleem Khan argued that citizens currently have to travel hundreds of kilometres to provincial capitals for official work, adding that smaller administrative units could help resolve public issues at the local level.

He questioned why anyone would oppose the idea unless it reduced their “kingdom”, saying there was no room for such politics in a democratic country.

Minister of State for Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel Malik also supported the proposal, suggesting Punjab could be divided into four or five provinces, Sindh into three or four, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa into three, and Balochistan into additional provinces despite already being Pakistan’s largest province by area.

However, he said public opinion should be sought before any such move.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif also supported the creation of new administrative units but stressed they should be established on administrative and national-interest grounds rather than ethnic considerations. He also suggested placing Karachi and Gwadar under federal administration.

Political divide remains

The issue has long divided Pakistan’s political parties.

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has historically supported the creation of a South Punjab province but opposes any proposal to divide Sindh.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and some other parties have backed the demand for a Hazara province in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while the Awami National Party (ANP) strongly opposes the idea.

Mixed public reaction

The debate has triggered mixed reactions on social media.

Some users argued that smaller provinces would improve governance, reduce pressure on major cities and bring healthcare, education and government services closer to people living in smaller towns.

Others questioned whether creating new provinces alone would solve Pakistan’s deeper governance problems, including corruption, political patronage and weak merit-based institutions.

PPP leader Qasim Gilani supported Naqvi’s remarks, saying Pakistan was trying to run a 21st-century country with a system designed in the 19th century for the needs of the 20th century.

Former senator Mushahid Hussain, however, dismissed the proposal as an “unwise solution”, arguing that Pakistan’s provinces were already facing multiple crises.

He said the real issue was governance rather than provincial boundaries, calling for merit-based appointments, institutional reforms and the devolution of powers to empowered local governments instead of creating more provinces.

Journalist Naimat Khan also argued that strengthening local governments offered a more practical solution than creating new provinces. He recalled that senior journalists had previously rejected similar proposals and instead advocated a robust local government system.

Some senior journalists, including Wusatullah Khan, had suggested beginning with a South Punjab province as a pilot model, but the proposal failed to gain traction due to a lack of local support, according to Khan.

What does the Constitution say?

The Constitution provides a clear legal pathway for creating new provinces.

Under Article 239, any change to provincial boundaries or the creation of a new province requires a constitutional amendment passed by a two-thirds majority in both the National Assembly and the Senate.

In addition, the provincial assembly of the province whose boundaries are to be altered must also approve the proposal through a two-thirds majority resolution.

Since no single political party currently commands a two-thirds majority in parliament or the provincial assemblies, any move to create new provinces would require broad political consensus.

This constitutional requirement echoes Naqvi’s call for all political parties to sit together and build agreement before pursuing any proposal to redraw Pakistan’s administrative map.