Former administrative units of Pakistan
پاکستان کی سابقہ انتظامی اکائیاں
পাকিস্তানের প্রাক্তন প্রশাসনিক বিভাগসমূহ

Subdivision of Pakistan
14 August 1947–1975

Map of Pakistan with Former administrative units of Pakistan highlighted
Capital| Karachi (1947-1961)
Islamabad(1961-1975)
Dacca (legislative) (1956-1971)
Area|

| 947,940 km2 (366,000 sq mi)
History|

• Established

| 14 August 1947

• Disestablished

| 1975

This article is part of the series
Former administrative units of Pakistan

Original provinces

* Baluchistan
* East Bengal
* Governor of East Bengal
* North-West Frontier Province
* Sind
* West Punjab

Princely states

* Amb
* Bahawalpur
* Chitral
* Dir
* Hunza
* Kalat
* Khairpur
* Kharan
* Las Bela
* Makran
* Nagar
* Phulra
* Swat

One-unit provinces

* East Pakistan
* West Pakistan

Other subdivisions

* Gilgit Agency
* Trans-Karakoram Tract
* Federal Capital Territory
* Federally Administered Tribal Areas

* v
* t
* e

The former administrative units of Pakistan are states, provinces, and territories which mainly existed between 1947 and 1975 when the current provinces and territories were established. The former units have no administrative function today, but some remain as historical and cultural legacies. In some cases, the current provinces and territories correspond to the former units – for example the province of Punjab includes almost all the territory of the former province of West Punjab.

## At independence

[edit]

### (i) Provinces of Pakistan

[edit]

Name  | Capital  | Emblem  | Flag  | Map

|
|
|
|

East Bengal
مشرقی بنگال
পূর্ব বাংলা  | Dacca
ڈھاکہ
ঢাকা  |  | None |
West Punjab
مغربی پنجاب
পশ্চিম পাঞ্জাব  | Lahore
لاہور
লাহোর  |  |  |
Sind
سندھ
সিন্ধু  | Hyderabad
حیدر آباد
হায়দ্রাবাদ  |  |  |
North-West Frontier
شمال مغربی سرحدی
উত্তর-পশ্চিম সীমান্ত  | Peshawar
پشاور
পেশাওয়ার  |  |  |
Baluchistan
بلوچستان
বেলুচিস্তান  | Quetta
کوئٹہ
কোয়েটা  |  |  |

### (ii) Federal Capital Territory of Pakistan

[edit]

Name  | Capital  | Emblem  | Flag  | Map

|
|
|
|

Federal Capital Territory
وفاقی دارالحکومت
বেফাকী রাজধানী এলাকা  | Karachi
کراچی
করাচী  |  |  |

### (iii) Princely States of Pakistan

[edit]

Main article: Princely states of Pakistan

Between August 1947 and March 1948, the rulers of the following princely states (which had existed alongside but outside British India) acceded their states to Pakistan, giving up control of their external affairs, while all retaining internal self-government, at least to begin with. This was lost by stages, until by 1974 all of the states had been fully integrated into Pakistan.

Name  | Capital  | Coat of arms  | Flag  | Map

|
|
|
|

Bahawalpur
بہاولپور
বাহাওয়ালপুর  | Bahawalpur
بہاولپور
বাহাওয়ালপুর  |  |  |
Khairpur
خیرپور
খয়েরপুর  | Khairpur
خیرپور
খয়েরপুর  | None |  |
Kalat
قلات
কালাত  | Kalat
قلات
কালাত  | None |  |
Las Bela
لاس بیلا۔
লাস বেলা  | Bela
بݔلہ
বেলা  | None |  |
Kharan
خاران
খারান  | Kharan
خاران
খারান  | None |  |
Makran
مکران
মাকরন  | Kech
کیچ
কেচ  | None |  |
Phulra
پھلرا
ফুলরা  | Amb
امب
আমবা  | None | None |
Amb
امب
আমবা  | Shergard
شیر گڑھ
শেরগড়  |  |  |
Swat
سوات
সোয়াত  | Saidu Sharif
سیدو شریف
সাইদু শরীফ  | None |  |
Dir
دیر
দির  | Dir
دیر
দির  | None |  |
Chitral
چترال
চিত্রল  | Buni
بنی
বুনি  |  |  |
Hunza
ہنزہ
হুনজা  | Baltit
بلتیت
বাল্টিট  |  |  |
Nagar
نگر
নগর  | Nagarkhas
نگرخاس
নগরখাস  |  |  |
Gilgit
گلگت ایجنسی
গিলগিট রাষ্ট্রসংস্থা  | Gilgit
گلگت
গিলগিট  | None | None |

## After independence

[edit]

The origins of most of the former administrative units lay in the set-up inherited from British India. From 1947 to 1971, newly independent Pakistan comprised two "wings" – 1600 kilometres apart and separated by India. The eastern wing comprised the single province of East Bengal, which included the Sylhet District from the former British Indian province of Assam as well as the Buddhist-majority Chittagong Hill Tracts awarded by the Radcliffe Commission. The politically dominant western wing united three Governor's provinces (North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), West Punjab and Sind), and one Chief Commissioner's Province (Baluchistan), also included were thirteen princely states and parts of Kashmir.

In 1948, the area around Karachi was separated from Sind province to form the Federal Capital Territory. In 1950 the North-West Frontier Province was expanded to include the small states of Amb and Phulra and the name of West Punjab province was changed to Punjab. The Baluchistan States Union was formed in 1952 by the four princely states of southwest Pakistan. Thus, between 1947 and 1955, Pakistan comprised five provinces and one territory.

The western wing eventually included thirteen princely states, one union of states, Gwadar enclave, Gilgit agency and parts of Kashmir:

* Gilgit Agency (former agency of Kashmir – after independence on 1 November 1947, using flag of Muslim League)
* Azad Jammu and Kashmir (after Kashmir War 1947~48 - using newly AJK Flag )
* Baluchistan States Union (combining Kalat, Kharan, Las Bela and Makran in 1953 – using flag of Kalat)
* Gwadar Enclave (purchased from Sultanate of Oman in 1958)

## One Unit of Pakistan 1955

[edit]

Map of one unit of Pakistan in 1955

Simmering tensions between the eastern and western wings of Pakistan led to the One Unit policy announced by Prime Minister Muhammad Ali Bogra. The states and provinces of the western wing merged in 1955 to become divisions of the new province of West Pakistan with the provincial capital at Lahore. At the same time, East Bengal became the new province of East Pakistan with the provincial capital at Dacca. West Pakistan annexed the former Omani enclave of Gwadar (on the Balochistan coast) in 1958 as part of Kalat division. In 1960 the federal government moved from Karachi to Rawalpindi (the provisional capital pending the completion of Islamabad), whilst the federal legislature moved to Dacca. The Federal Capital Territory was merged with West Pakistan in 1961 to form the new division of Karachi. In 1963 the Trans-Karakoram Tract was transferred by treaty from Gilgit Agency to China under the provision that the settlement was subject to the final solution of the Kashmir dispute. Thus from 1955 to 1970, Pakistan comprised two provinces:

Name  | Capital  | Emblem  | Map

|
|
|

East Pakistan
مشرقی پاکستان
পূর্ব পাকিস্তান  | Dacca
ڈھاکہ
ঢাকা  |  |
West Pakistan
مغربى پاکستان
পশ্চিম পাকিস্তান  | Lahore
لاہور
লাহোর  |  |

## New provinces of Pakistan 1970

[edit]

Main article: Legal Framework Order, 1970

Map of new provinces of Pakistan in 1970

The One Unit policy was regarded as a rational administrative reform to reduce expenditure and eliminate provincial prejudices. However the military coup of 1958 signalled troubled times for the two-province system as the office of Chief Minister of West Pakistan was abolished by President Ayub Khan to be replaced by Governor's rule. Eventually, in 1970, the province of West Pakistan was dissolved by President Yahya Khan and four new provinces were created along with some changes in Pakistani Kashmir. These provinces combined most of the former provinces and states as follows:

New Province | Constituent former administrative units

|

Baluchistan Province |

* Baluchistan Chief Commissioner's Province
* Baluchistan States Union (Las Bela, Makran, Kharan & Kalat)
* Enclave of Gwadar

North-West Frontier Province |

* Former North-West Frontier Province
* State of Phulra
* State of Amb
* State of Swat
* State of Dir
* State of Chitral

Punjab Province |

* Former West Punjab Province
* State of Bahawalpur

Sind Province |

* Former Sind Province
* State of Khairpur
* Former Federal Capital Territory

Federally Administered Area |

* 906 km2 of former West Punjab Province

Northern Areas |

* Gilgit Agency

Azad Kashmir |

* Azad Kashmir

## Changes after 1970

[edit]

The province of East Pakistan became independent on 16 December 1971, as the new country of Bangladesh. The states of Hunza and Nagar were abolished and their territories merged into the Northern Areas in 1974. The Federally Administered Tribal Areas were formed from parts of the North West Frontier Province districts of Peshawar and Dera Ismail Khan in 1975.[citation needed]

The status of the Islamabad area was changed to a capital territory in 1981. The names of two provinces were slightly modified in 1990 – Baluchistan became Balochistan and Sind became Sindh. In 2009, the Northern Areas changed its name to Gilgit–Baltistan. In 2010, the North West Frontier Province changed its name to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. 8 Years later in May 2018, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.[citation needed]

## See also

[edit]

* Junagadh State \- Acceded to Pakistan
* Hyderabad State \- Supported by Pakistan
* Administrative units of Pakistan
* Politics of Pakistan
* Divisions of Pakistan
* Jammu and Kashmir (Princely State)

## External links

[edit]

* Government of Pakistan

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