We all know that Pakistan has five provinces and its capital city is Islamabad but how many of us know the further division of provinces into divisions, districts, cities, tehsil and union council. Well, if you read till the end of this informational blog, you will be well versed about the different administrative units of Pakistan and what is the purpose of this dissection.
Administrative Units Of Pakistan
The five provinces of Pakistan are Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, Gilgit Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and are run by their respective provincial governments. The first tier of the government is the federal government, which runs the entire country followed by the provincial government. This division enables the federal government to entrust provincial matters and developments with the provincial government. For better governance, all of the four provinces are divided into different divisions that are further divided into three different tiers i.e. district, tehsil and union council.
These seem like so many divisions of the country and government but the entire purpose of this is to enable the government to govern at the grassroots level and administer the developments closely. This gives better administrative control and hence the country prospers.
Let’s understand the three tiers of administrative units of Pakistan and how many total units each province has.
District
The district is the first tier of the administrative units that is also the biggest in terms of territory. The administrative duties, implementation of government strategies and overseeing development initiatives in a district is the responsibility of the District Coordination Officer who is also the head of District Administration.
Before 2010, there was a post of ‘Zila Nazim’ in the government, who was the head of District Administration, but after that year, the powers were transferred to District Coordination Officer.
Divisions & Districts Of Four Provinces Of Pakistan
Following are the divisions of all four provinces of Pakistan.
| Punjab | Sindh | Balochistan | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa |
| Bahawalpur | Banbhore | Kalat | Bannu |
| Dera Ghazi Khan | Hyderabad | Makran | Dera Ismail Khan |
| Faisalabad | Karachi | Naseerabad | Hazara |
| Gujranwala | Sukkur | Quetta | Kohat |
| Lahore | Larkana | Sibi | Malakand |
| Multan | Mirpur Khas | Zhob | Mardan |
| Rawalpindi | Shaheed Benazirabad | Peshawar | |
| Sahiwal | |||
| Sargodha |
Following are the districts of all four provinces of Pakistan.
| Punjab | Sindh | Balochistan | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa |
| Bahawalpur | Badin | Awaran | Abbottabad |
| Bahawalnagar | Dadu | Barkhan | Bajaur |
| Rahim Yar Khan | Ghotki | Chagai | Bannu |
| Dera Ghazi Khan | Hyderabad | Dera Bugti | Battagram |
| Layyah | Jacobabad | Duki | Buner |
| Muzaffargarh | Jamshoro | Gwadar | Charsadda |
| Rajanpur | Karachi Central | Harnai | Chitral |
| Faisalabad | Kashmore | Jafarabad | Dera Ismail Khan |
| Chiniot | Khairpur | Jhal Magsi | Hangu |
| Toba Tek Singh | Larkana | Kachhi | Haripur |
| Jhang | Matiari | Kalat | Karak |
| Gujranwala | Mirpur Khas | Kech | Khar |
| Gujrat | Naushahro Feroze | Kharan | Kohat |
| Hafizabad | Shaheed Benazirabad | Khuzdar | Lakki Marwat |
| Mandi Bahauddin | Qambar Shahdadkot | Killa Abdullah | Lower Dir |
| Narowal | Sanghar | Kohlu | Lower Kohistan |
| Sialkot | Shikarpur | Lasbela | Malakand |
| Lahore | Sukkur | Loralai | Mansehra |
| Kasur | Tando Allahyar | Mastung | Mardan |
| Nankana Sahib | Tando Muhammad Khan | Musakhel | Nowshera |
| Sheikhupura | Tharparkar | Naseerabad | Peshawar |
| Multan | Thatta | Nushki | Shangla |
| Lodhran | Umerkot | Panjgur | Swabi |
| Khanewal | Sujawal | Pishin | Swat |
| Vehari | Karachi East | Qilla Saifullah | Tank |
| Rawalpindi | Karachi South | Quetta | Torghar |
| Jhelum | Karachi West | Shaheed Sikandarabad | Upper Dir |
| Chakwal | Korangi | Sherani | Upper Kohistan |
| Attock | Malir | Sibi | |
| Sahiwal | Sohbatpur | ||
| Pakpattan | Washuk | ||
| Okara | Zhob | ||
| Sargodha | Ziarat | ||
| Khushab | |||
| Mianwali | |||
| Bhakkar |
Tehsil
Tehsil is the second administrative unit of Pakistan or second tier in local government. After dividing divisions of all four provinces into districts, it is further divided into tehsil. A tehsil consists of further smaller cities or areas, for instance, the Lahore District of Punjab is further divided into five tehsils which are Lahore Cantt., Lahore City, Model Town, Raiwind and Shalimar.
The division of a district into tehsil is followed in three provinces of Pakistan: Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa except for Sindh. In Sindh, a tehsil is referred to as a ‘taluka’ which is further divided into union councils.
Number Of Tehsils In Punjab
The total number of tehsils in Punjab is 145.
Number Of Tehsils (Taluka) In Sindh
The total number of talukas (tehsils) in Sindh is 146.
Number Of Tehsils In Balochistan
The total number of tehsils in Balochistan is 143.
Number Of Tehsils In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
The total number of tehsils in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is 83.
Union Council
Union council is the last administrative unit and smallest of all. The tehsils are further divided into union councils so that the government can govern even at the lowest and grass roots level.
However, according to a notification issued by the Government of Punjab, all the union councils that were constituted under Punjab Local Government Act 2013 will be defunct and succeeded by local governments.
The government is also considering restoring the union councils in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. These union councils were abolished in the province in 2019 and only two tiers of councils were left i.e. village and neighbourhood councils.
So, this brings us to the end of our educational guide on the administrative units of Pakistan. For more information about government initiatives like one window Ehsaas Center and online LDA one window appointment, visit Pakistan’s largest lifestyle and real estate blog, Zameen Blog.
