The divisions of Punjab (), are the first-order administrative bodies of the Punjab Province of Pakistan. In total, there are 10 divisions, which are further divided into

districts A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

ranging from three to six per division, depending upon area. Divisions are governed by

Commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to incl ...

s while districts are governed by

Deputy Commissioner A deputy commissioner is a police, income tax or administrative official in many countries. The rank is commonplace in police forces of Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, usually ranking below the Commissioner. Australia In all Aust ...

History

Administrative divisions had formed an integral tier of government from the times of

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an Early modern period, early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to ...

and latterly

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

. The

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

and

Multan Subah Multan is the fifth-most populous city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Located along the eastern bank of the Chenab River, it is the sixth-largest city in the country; and serves as the administrative headquarters of its eponymous divi ...

s (combinedly Punjab) during

Mughal era The Mughal Empire was an early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to the highlands of pre ...

while Punjab Province during British era were subdivided into divisions, which were themselves subdivided into districts. After

independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

, The province of

West Punjab West Punjab (; ) was a province in the Dominion of Pakistan from 1947 to 1955. It was established from the western-half of British Punjab, following the independence of Pakistan. The province covered an area of 159,344 km sq (61523 sq mi), i ...

had four divisions –

Multan Multan is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fifth-most populous city in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. Located along the eastern bank of the Chenab River, it is the List of cities in Pakistan by populatio ...

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, third-largest city in the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is a commercial and industrial hub, being the list of cities in P ...

and

Sargodha Sargodha (Punjabi language, Punjabi/; ; ) is a city and capital of Sargodha Division, located in Central Punjab, central Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. It is Pakistan's List of most populous cities in Pakistan, 11th most populous city and ...

. From 1955 to 1970, during

One Unit The One Unit Scheme (; ) was the reorganisation of the provinces of Pakistan by the central Pakistani government. It was led by Prime Minister Muhammad Ali Bogra on 22 November 1954 and passed on 30 September 1955. The government claimed tha ...

policy the

Princely State of Bahawalpur State of Bahawalpur was a state in the Punjab region of South Asia that existed as a sovereign polity from 1748 to 1833 and as a princely state, under subsidiary alliance with British India and later Dominion of Pakistan, from 1833 to 1955 ...

was joined with West Punjab and made part of

Bahawalpur Division Bahawalpur Division (; ) is an administrative division of the Punjab Province, Pakistan. The reforms of 2000 abolished the third tier of government but division system was restored again in 2008. Districts List of the Tehsils Demographics ...

. In the late 1970s new divisions were formed;

Gujranwala Division Gujranwala Division is an administrative division of Punjab province, Pakistan. The division, headquartered at the city of Gujranwala, consist of 3 districts, covers an area of 8,975 km2. Demographics According to 2023 census, Gujranwala di ...

was formed from parts of

and

divisions;

Dera Ghazi Khan Division Dera Ghazi Khan Division is an administrative Divisions of Pakistan, division of the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab Province, Pakistan. The division was established in 1982. History During British Raj, British rule, All the districts that later forme ...

was split from

Multan Division Multan Division is an administrative division of Punjab Province, Pakistan. It was created during British colonial rule in South Asia in the 19th century. It includes 4 districts: Khanewal, Lodhran, Vehari and Multan and 15 Tehsils. Its reco ...

;

Faisalabad Division Faisalabad Division is an administrative division of Punjab, Pakistan. The reforms of 2000 abolished the third tier of government but was restored again in 2008. Demographics Population According to the 2023 census, Faisalabad divisio ...

was split from

Sargodha Division Sargodha Division is an administrative division of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province, Pakistan. Sargodha, Sargodha city is the capital of the division. Divisions of Pakistan, Divisions are the Administrative units of Pakistan, third tier of gover ...

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 Mianwali Division is a proposed administrative division of Punjab province, Pakistan. Mianwali city would be the capital of the division. As of 2024, the division has not been established. On January 14, 2023, CM Pervaiz Elahi announced that Mi ...

was added to Punjab Province.

Administration

Every division of province is divided into many

and then further into tehsils. Each division is administrated by a

commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to incl ...

. 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: * He is the officer-in-charge of general administration and principal representative of the government in the division. * He monitors the discharge of duties by the deputy commissioners in the division. * He is also responsible to facilitate and coordinate any work which concerns two or more districts in the division.

List of divisions

List of divisions by population over the years

References

{{reflist P *

History

Administration

List of divisions

List of divisions by population over the years

See Also

References