Balochistan Reorganizes: Quetta Divided into East and West Districts

The Balochistan government announced recent measures to reorganize provincial administrative units, including the division of Quetta District into East and West sections, as reported on Saturday.

A notification from the province’s Revenue Department, dated July 8, detailed the creation of new divisions, districts, sub‑division, tehsils and sub‑tehsils, and described adjustments to the boundaries of existing administrative areas.

Consequently, the number of divisions has risen from eight to eleven, and districts have increased from thirty‑six to forty‑one.

A key decision involved splitting Quetta District into East and West along the railway line.

East Quetta now includes the Saddar, City and Sariab sub‑divisions, while West Quetta comprises Kuchlak and the newly established Brewery and Panjpai sub‑divisions; the Brewery tehsil has also been created.

Mastung District has been separated from Kalat Division and incorporated into Quetta Division, which now contains three districts.

Leaders of tribal chiefs and politicians from the Sarawan region, alongside senior politician Nawabzada Haji Lashkari Raisani, voiced opposition to the government’s plans.

Raisani objected to changing Mastung’s historical status by moving it from Kalat to Quetta Division, asserting that such actions contravene the 1948 accession agreement between the Khan of Kalat and Quaid‑e‑Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah.

Kalat Division has been split into Khuzdar and Lasbela Divisions, ending the use of the former Kalat designation.

Under the new structure, Khuzdar Division includes Khuzdar, Kalat, Surab and Wadh districts, whereas Lasbela Division comprises Lasbela, Hub and Awaran districts.

A new Wadh District has been formed from Wadh, Ornach and Nal sub‑divisions, taken from parts of Khuzdar District.

The district formerly named Shaheed Sikandarabad has been renamed Surab, reversing a previous decision; Sub‑division Zehri and its tehsil have been detached from Khuzdar and added to Surab District.

Khuzdar District now hosts newly created Baghbana and Moola sub‑divisions, the introduction of Tehsil Zeydi, and the upgrade of Karkh from sub‑tehsil to tehsil status.

The Saroona sub‑tehsil in Khuzdar will be discontinued, with its Shahnoorani and Kalghalo Union Councils transferred to Lasbela’s Kanraj sub‑division.

The boundaries of Khuzdar Division’s Kalat District and Lasbela’s Awaran District remain unchanged.

In a stylistic adjustment, Makran Division will be spelled Makuran, and the spellings of Sibi Division and Sibi City have been corrected to Sevi.

Upper Dera Bugti District has been renamed North Dera Bugti, and Lower Dera Bugti has been renamed South Dera Bugti.

In Makuran’s Gwadar District, new Ormara and Jiwani sub‑divisions have been established.

Naseerabad Division has added a new Khanpur tehsil to Jaffarabad District, while Sohbatpur District now includes Jia Khan as both a sub‑division and tehsil.

Zhob District has received a new sub‑division named Murgha Kibzai, and Sherani District has created a sub‑division called Mani Khawa.

Kachhi District has been moved from Naseerabad Division into Sevi Division; conversely, Ziarat and Harnai Districts have been transferred from Sevi Division to Loralai Division.

The territories of Pishin Division’s Pishin, Qila Abdullah and Chaman districts remain unchanged.

A new Toba Kakari sub‑division and tehsil have been established in Barshore District, with the existing Sub‑tehsil Barshore upgraded to tehsil status.

In Rakhshan Division, Chagai District’s namesake tehsil has been promoted to sub‑division status, and a new Nag sub‑division has been introduced in Washuk District.

Koh-i-Suleman Division’s Kohlu District now includes a new Zarkuwana sub‑division, a new Tehsil Jandran, and a new Sub‑tehsil Hosarhi; additionally, a sub‑division named Rara Sham has been created in Barkhan District.

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