Divisions of Punjab, Pakistan explained

Divisions of Punjab
Map:New District wise map Punjab province 2022-Prepared by Vijay Kumar.jpg
Caption:Map of Divisions of Punjab, Pakistan
Category:First-level administrative division
Territory:Pakistan
Upper Unit:Punjab
Current Number:11
Number Date:January 2023[1]
Population Range:Greatest: Lahore —22,772,710 (2023 census)
Least: Sahiwal —8,533,471 (2023 census)
Area Range:Largest: Bahawalpur — 45588km2
Smallest: Gujrat —8231km2
Government:Division Administration
Subdivision:Districts
Subdivision1:Tehsils
Subdivision2:Union councils

The divisions of Punjab (Urdu: {{nq|پنجاب کےڈویژن), are the first-order administrative bodies of the Punjab Province of Pakistan. In total, there are 10 divisions, which are further divided into districts ranging from three to six per division, depending upon area.[2] [3] Divisions are governed by Commissioners while districts are governed by Deputy Commissioners.

History

Administrative divisions had formed an integral tier of government from the times of Mughal Empire and latterly British Raj. The Lahore and Multan Subahs (combinedly Punjab) during Mughal era while Punjab Province during British era were subdivided into divisions, which were themselves subdivided into districts.

After independence, The province of West Punjab had four divisions – Lahore, Multan, Rawalpindi and Sargodha. From 1955 to 1970, during One Unit policy the Princely State of Bahawalpur was joined with West Punjab and made part of Bahawalpur Division. In the late 1970s new divisions were formed; Gujranwala Division was formed from parts of Lahore and Rawalpindi divisions; Dera Ghazi Khan Division was split from Multan Division; Faisalabad Division was split from Sargodha Division and, with the passage of time, the number of these divisions increased and now there are nine divisions.

On 17 August 2022, Gujarat Division established in Punjab Province. On January 14, 2023, Mianwali Division was added to Punjab Province.

Administration

Every division of province is divided into many districts and then further into tehsils. Each division is administrated by a commissioner. He is assisted by different deputy commissioners of all districts of his division. The duties of commissioner according to Punjab Government Act 2013 (XVIII of 2013) are as follows:[4]

List of divisions

Division Name
(English)
Division Name
(Urdu)
Headquarter DistrictsArea(km2)Population (2023)[5] Pop. Density (2023)Map
Bahawalpur Division[6] 45,588 13,400,009293.94/km2
Dera Ghazi Khan Division[7] 38,77812,892,465332.47/km2
Faisalabad Division[8] 17,91816,228,526905.71/km2
Gujranwala Division[9] Gujranwala 17,20718,778,8681091.35/km2
Gujrat Division[10] N/A (Part of Gujranwala)N/A (Part of Gujranwala)N/A (Part of Gujranwala)
Lahore Division[11] Lahore 11,72722,772,7101941.90/km2
Multan Division[12] Multan 15,21114,085,102925.98/km2
Rawalpindi Division[13] 22,25411,406,496512.56/km2
Sahiwal Division[14] Sahiwal 10,3028,533,471828.33/km2
Sargodha Division[15] Sargodha 26,3609,591,275263.86/km2

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Administrative Divisions of Punjab. www.pakinformation.com. 2019-04-05.
  2. Web site: Divisions & Districts Punjab Portal . 2022-05-13 . www.punjab.gov.pk.
  3. Web site: Punjab Province – List of Tehsils, Districts and Divisions صوبہ پنجاب. 2017-02-25. Pakistan's Political Workers Helpline. en-US. 2019-04-05.
  4. Web site: The Punjab Civil Administration Act 2017. punjablaws.gov.pk. 2019-04-05.
  5. https://www.pbs.gov.pk/sites/default/files/population/2023/tables/punjab/pcr/table_1.pdf
  6. Web site: TMA Bahawalpur Division Local Government and Community Development. lgcd.punjab.gov.pk. 2019-04-05.
  7. Web site: TMA Dera Ghazi Khan Division Local Government and Community Development. lgcd.punjab.gov.pk. 2019-04-05.
  8. Web site: TMA Faisalabad Division Local Government and Community Development. lgcd.punjab.gov.pk. 2019-04-05.
  9. Web site: Gujranwala Division Local Government and Community Development. lgcd.punjab.gov.pk. 2019-04-05.
  10. Web site: Gujrat Division Local Government and Community Development. lgcd.punjab.gov.pk. 2019-04-05.
  11. Web site: Lahore Division Local Government and Community Development. lgcd.punjab.gov.pk. 2019-04-05.
  12. Web site: Multan Division Local Government and Community Development. lgcd.punjab.gov.pk. 2019-04-05.
  13. Web site: TMA Rawalpindi Division Local Government and Community Development. lgcd.punjab.gov.pk. 2019-04-05.
  14. Web site: Sahiwal Division Local Government and Community Development. lgcd.punjab.gov.pk. 2019-04-05.
  15. Web site: Sargodha Division Local Government and Community Development. lgcd.punjab.gov.pk. 2019-04-05.