FBR Chairman Highlights Urban Expansion as Debate Over New Provinces Intensifies

The chairman of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has drawn attention to the rapid growth of Pakistan's cities and what he describes as outdated administrative structures, sharing satellite imagery that compares the country's nighttime lights in 2012 with those projected for 2026. The post comes amid an ongoing public debate over the creation of new provinces and the need to redraw administrative boundaries.

According to the figures shared, Pakistan's continuously illuminated land area rose from roughly 13,259 square kilometres in 2012 to 16,876 square kilometres in 2026, an increase of 27 percent. Over the same period, the country's urban population grew by approximately 60 percent, underscoring how quickly cities are expanding relative to the systems meant to govern them.

The comparison highlights the emergence of a large urban belt in Punjab. Lahore, Gujranwala and Kasur, which appeared as separate clusters of light in 2012, have merged with Sheikhupura, Muridke and Kamoke into a connected metropolitan area. The combined illuminated area of this belt rose from 1,794 square kilometres to 2,696 square kilometres, a 1.5-fold expansion that the post describes as a megacity taking shape along the Grand Trunk Road, now larger in lit area than Karachi.

Other cities recorded similarly striking growth. Faisalabad expanded fastest among the major centres, with its illuminated area more than doubling from 403 to 853 square kilometres. Islamabad and Rawalpindi grew 1.8 times, from 855 to 1,498 square kilometres, while Multan doubled from 277 to 550 square kilometres and Sialkot more than doubled from 154 to 330 square kilometres. Karachi's lit area increased from 1,119 to 1,605 square kilometres, Hyderabad rose from 256 to 334 square kilometres, and Peshawar grew from 270 to 311 square kilometres, with Quetta and Bahawalpur also recording gains.

The FBR chairman argued that government institutions still operate along boundaries drawn for an older urban landscape. He noted that the Lahore urban belt now stretches across four districts without a single authority responsible for managing the interconnected region, while Karachi is divided among approximately a dozen land-owning agencies despite functioning as one economic centre. He also pointed out that Punjab's cities have largely been run by appointed administrators for most of the past decade rather than through empowered local governments.

The observations add a data-driven dimension to the wider discussion about how Pakistan organises its local governance and whether existing provincial and municipal boundaries remain fit for purpose as the country urbanises.