| Former administrative units of Pakistan پاکستان کی سابقہ انتظامی اکائیاں পাকিস্তানের প্রাক্তন প্রশাসনিক বিভাগসমূহ | |
|---|---|
| Subdivision ofPakistan | |
| 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 |
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| This article is part of the series |
| Former administrative units of Pakistan |
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One-unit provinces |
Theformer administrative units of Pakistan are states, provinces, and territories which mainly existed between 1947 and 1975 when the currentprovinces 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 ofPunjab includes almost all the territory of the former province ofWest Punjab.
| Name | Capital | Emblem | Flag | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Bengal مشرقی بنگال পূর্ব বাংলা | Dacca ڈھاکہ ঢাকা | .svg) | None |  |
| West Punjab مغربی پنجاب পশ্চিম পাঞ্জাব | Lahore لاہور লাহোর |  |  |  |
| Sind سندھ সিন্ধু | Hyderabad حیدر آباد হায়দ্রাবাদ |  |  | _map.gif) |
| North-West Frontier شمال مغربی سرحدی উত্তর-পশ্চিম সীমান্ত | Peshawar پشاور পেশাওয়ার |  |  | _map.gif) |
| Baluchistan بلوچستان বেলুচিস্তান | Quetta کوئٹہ কোয়েটা |  |  |  |
| Name | Capital | Emblem | Flag | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal Capital Territory وفاقی دارالحکومت বেফাকী রাজধানী এলাকা | Karachi کراچی করাচী | |  |  |
Between August 1947 and March 1948, the rulers of the followingprincely states (which had existed alongside but outsideBritish 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 | .svg) |  |
| 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 |  |  | .png) |
| Nagar نگر নগর | Nagarkhas نگرخاس নগরখাস |  |  |  |
| Gilgit گلگت ایجنسی গিলগিট রাষ্ট্রসংস্থা | Gilgit گلگت গিলগিট | None | None |  |
The origins of most of the former administrative units lay in the set-up inherited fromBritish India. From 1947 to 1971, newly independent Pakistan comprised two "wings" – 1600 kilometres apart and separated byIndia. The eastern wing comprised the single province ofEast Bengal, which included theSylhet District from the formerBritish Indian province ofAssam as well as the Buddhist-majorityChittagong Hill Tracts awarded by theRadcliffe Commission. The politically dominant western wing united three Governor's provinces (North-West Frontier Province (NWFP),West Punjab andSind), and one Chief Commissioner's Province (Baluchistan), also included were thirteenprincely states and parts ofKashmir.
In 1948, the area aroundKarachi was separated from Sind province to form theFederal Capital Territory. In 1950 theNorth-West Frontier Province was expanded to include the small states ofAmb andPhulra and the name of West Punjab province was changed to Punjab. TheBaluchistan 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 thirteenprincely states, one union of states, Gwadar enclave, Gilgit agency and parts of Kashmir:
Simmering tensions between the eastern and western wings of Pakistan led to theOne Unit policy announced by Prime MinisterMuhammad Ali Bogra. The states and provinces of the western wing merged in 1955 to become divisions of the new province ofWest Pakistan with the provincial capital atLahore. 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 ofGwadar (on the Balochistan coast) in 1958 as part of Kalat division. In 1960 the federal government moved from Karachi toRawalpindi (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 theTrans-Karakoram Tract was transferred by treaty from Gilgit Agency to China under the provision that the settlement was subject to the final solution of theKashmir dispute. Thus from 1955 to 1970, Pakistan comprised two provinces:
| Name | Capital | Emblem | Map |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Pakistan مشرقی پاکستان পূর্ব পাকিস্তান | Dacca ڈھاکہ ঢাকা | .svg) | |
| West Pakistan مغربى پاکستان পশ্চিম পাকিস্তান | Lahore لاہور লাহোর | .svg) |  |
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 PresidentAyub Khan to be replaced by Governor's rule. Eventually, in 1970, the province of West Pakistan was dissolved by PresidentYahya 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 |
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| North-West Frontier Province |
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| Punjab Province |
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| Sind Province |
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| Federally Administered Area |
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| Northern Areas |
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| Azad Kashmir |
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The province of East Pakistan became independent on 16 December 1971, as the new country ofBangladesh. The states ofHunza andNagar were abolished and their territories merged into the Northern Areas in 1974. TheFederally Administered Tribal Areas were formed from parts of the North West Frontier Province districts ofPeshawar andDera 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 toGilgit–Baltistan. In 2010, the North West Frontier Province changed its name toKhyber Pakhtunkhwa. 8 Years later in May 2018, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas merged withKhyber Pakhtunkhwa.[citation needed]