The Economist’s latest report outlines a proposal by Field Marshal Asim Munir to replace Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan with 12 or more administrative units.
Punjab alone houses 128 million people, more than half of Pakistan’s 217 million residents, while Balochistan’s 15 million population makes it the smallest province.
Munir argues that the sheer size of these provinces hampers effective governance, pointing to double‑digit inflation and sluggish growth as evidence of systemic failure.
Critics warn that the plan could deepen the military’s stranglehold on civilian politics, noting that the army controls vast swaths of land and key economic sectors and that its influence has been felt in every major political crisis.
Opposition leaders, including former cricket star Imran Khan, have denounced the proposal as an attempt to consolidate power, and protests have erupted in major cities such as Karachi and Lahore.
The proposal has already sparked a series of demonstrations across the country, with civil society groups demanding a constitutional review before any redistricting can take place.