Before you jump the gun on me, I think provinces in Pakistan should be created strictly for administrative purposes (based on urban centers & economic growth), not ethnic or lingual grounds.
Some facts about Pakistan: Punjab contributes about 57%, Sindh contributes about 28%, KPK contributes about 8%, Balochistan about 3%, FATA about 1%, Northern Areas about 1%, & Islamabad capital territory about 2% of Pakistan's GDP.
Karachi itself contributes about 20% of Pakistan's GDP. Lahore contributes about 12% of Pakistan's economy. The third largest city of Pakistan, Faisalabad contributes about 9% of Pakistan's GDP.
These are the main 10 'urban centers/cities' of Pakistan, namely: Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Hyderabad, Peshawar, Quetta, Multan, Gujranwala/Sialkot.
The three cities; Lahore, Sialkot & Gujranwala are located very close to each other. Faisalabad is located at a 'reasonable distance' from Lahore/Sialkot/Gujranwala, but still, not that far away from them either. In other words, these four cities are found in a pretty concentrated area.
Multan (in central-south Punjab) & Bahwalpur (close to the Punjab-Sindh border) is left isolated from these cities. A huge amount of resources are being spent on Lahore/Sialkot/Gujranwala, but nearly not enough on Multan & Bahwalpur, even though they are very important cities. In other words, South Punjab has been left a bit isolated from the growth of central-North Punjab. The urban centers are confined, & need to be spread out more. A new South Punjab state will help develop Multan & Bahawulpur urban centers even faster. As of now, Multan is being envisioned as a future 'Pearl City', & lots of work is being done to develop it. These efforts should only be increased, & South Punjab needs to be put in perspective.
In Sindh, the two urban centers of Karachi & Hyderabad are located at a reasonable distance, but both are in South Sindh. The urbanization of Bahawalpur in South Punjab close to North Sindh will help urbanization spread into North Sindh as well.
In Balochistan, Quetta is the biggest urban center. But it is also very volatile being close to the Afghan border. Army must make prolonged efforts to make it safe (which will eventually result in prosperous city). Gwadar must be developed & urbanized at a quicker pace so that the Baloch people can reap its benefits. Mining in Zhob is already taking place. But the distance between Quetta & Gwadar is too great, & there should be another urban center in between Quetta & Gwadar.
In my opinion, there must be at least 2-3 urban centers in each province/region, that are reasonably distanced from each other & not confined together, & do not have any safety/security concerns.
Currently:
a) Sindh has Karachi & Hyderabad
b) Punjab has Lahore & Faisalabad
c) Northern Pakistan (KPK & Northern Areas) has Islamabad-Rawalpindi/Abbottabad & Peshawar (a bit unsafe these days)
d) Balochistan has Quetta (very unsafe these days)
e) Azad Kashmir has Muzzaffarabad
Security must be enhanced in Peshawar & (especially) Quetta. Pakistan must give provincial status to South Punjab, Hazaras (maybe), & create more urban centers within the country. Great work is being done in Multan, this must be extended to Bahawalpur, Gwadar & other cities.
Some facts about Pakistan: Punjab contributes about 57%, Sindh contributes about 28%, KPK contributes about 8%, Balochistan about 3%, FATA about 1%, Northern Areas about 1%, & Islamabad capital territory about 2% of Pakistan's GDP.
Karachi itself contributes about 20% of Pakistan's GDP. Lahore contributes about 12% of Pakistan's economy. The third largest city of Pakistan, Faisalabad contributes about 9% of Pakistan's GDP.
These are the main 10 'urban centers/cities' of Pakistan, namely: Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Hyderabad, Peshawar, Quetta, Multan, Gujranwala/Sialkot.
The three cities; Lahore, Sialkot & Gujranwala are located very close to each other. Faisalabad is located at a 'reasonable distance' from Lahore/Sialkot/Gujranwala, but still, not that far away from them either. In other words, these four cities are found in a pretty concentrated area.
Multan (in central-south Punjab) & Bahwalpur (close to the Punjab-Sindh border) is left isolated from these cities. A huge amount of resources are being spent on Lahore/Sialkot/Gujranwala, but nearly not enough on Multan & Bahwalpur, even though they are very important cities. In other words, South Punjab has been left a bit isolated from the growth of central-North Punjab. The urban centers are confined, & need to be spread out more. A new South Punjab state will help develop Multan & Bahawulpur urban centers even faster. As of now, Multan is being envisioned as a future 'Pearl City', & lots of work is being done to develop it. These efforts should only be increased, & South Punjab needs to be put in perspective.
In Sindh, the two urban centers of Karachi & Hyderabad are located at a reasonable distance, but both are in South Sindh. The urbanization of Bahawalpur in South Punjab close to North Sindh will help urbanization spread into North Sindh as well.
In Balochistan, Quetta is the biggest urban center. But it is also very volatile being close to the Afghan border. Army must make prolonged efforts to make it safe (which will eventually result in prosperous city). Gwadar must be developed & urbanized at a quicker pace so that the Baloch people can reap its benefits. Mining in Zhob is already taking place. But the distance between Quetta & Gwadar is too great, & there should be another urban center in between Quetta & Gwadar.
In my opinion, there must be at least 2-3 urban centers in each province/region, that are reasonably distanced from each other & not confined together, & do not have any safety/security concerns.
Currently:
a) Sindh has Karachi & Hyderabad
b) Punjab has Lahore & Faisalabad
c) Northern Pakistan (KPK & Northern Areas) has Islamabad-Rawalpindi/Abbottabad & Peshawar (a bit unsafe these days)
d) Balochistan has Quetta (very unsafe these days)
e) Azad Kashmir has Muzzaffarabad
Security must be enhanced in Peshawar & (especially) Quetta. Pakistan must give provincial status to South Punjab, Hazaras (maybe), & create more urban centers within the country. Great work is being done in Multan, this must be extended to Bahawalpur, Gwadar & other cities.
