The divisions of Punjab ( ur, ), 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. 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 The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

and latterly

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was him ...

. The

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...

and

Multan Subah Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab. Multan is one of the old ...

s (combinedly Punjab) during

Mughal era The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

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

independence Independence is a condition of a person, 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 statu ...

, The province of

West Punjab West Punjab ( pnb, ; ur, ) was a province in the Dominion of Pakistan from 1947 to 1955. The province covered an area of 159,344 km2 (61523 sq mi), including much of the current Punjab province and the Islamabad Capital Territory, but exclu ...

had four divisions –

Multan Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab. Multan is one of the old ...

, Rawalpindi and

Sargodha Sargodha (Punjabi and ur, ) is a city and capital of Sargodha Division, located in Punjab province, Pakistan. It is Pakistan's 12th largest city by population and one of the fastest-growing cities of the country. Sargodha is also known as t ...

. From 1955 to 1970, during One Unit policy the

Princely State of Bahawalpur Bahawalpur (Urdu, skr, ) was a princely state of British India, and later Dominion of Pakistan, that was a part of the Punjab States Agency. It existed as an autonomous state, within Pakistan from 1947 to 1955, when it was dissolved and mer ...

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 It contains the following districts: * ...

. In the late 1970s new divisions were formed; Gujranwala Division was formed from parts of

and Rawalpindi divisions;

Dera Ghazi Khan Division Dera Ghazi Khan 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 It contains the following districts: * ...

was split from

Multan Division Multan Division is an administrative division of Punjab Province, Pakistan. The reforms of 2000 abolished the third tier of government but the division system was restored again in 2008. Districts It consists of the following districts: Histo ...

;

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. Districts It consists of the following districts:Sargodha Division Sargodha Division is an administrative division of Punjab province, Pakistan. Sargodha city is the capital of the division. According to the 2017 Census of Pakistan, the total population of the division was 8.18 million. Divisions are the thir ...

and, with the passage of time, the number of these divisions increased and now there are nine divisions.

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: * 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

References

{{reflist Divisions of Pakistan