Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman has highlighted the rapid expansion of Pakistan’s major cities, arguing that the country’s administrative structures have failed to keep pace with changing urban boundaries.
In a social media post, the FBR chairman shared satellite images comparing Pakistan’s nighttime lights in 2012 and 2026 to show how rapidly urban areas have expanded.
According to the figures shared in the post, Pakistan’s continuously illuminated land area increased from 13,259 square kilometers in 2012 to 16,876 square kilometers in 2026, representing a 27 percent increase. The country’s urban population also grew by around 60 percent during the same period.
Lahore’s Urban Area Expands Beyond City Boundaries
The comparison shows Lahore, Gujranwala and Kasur expanding into a connected urban belt that also includes Sheikhupura, Muridke and Kamoke.
The combined illuminated area of these cities and surrounding areas increased from 1,794 square kilometers in 2012 to 2,696 square kilometers in 2026, representing a 1.5-fold expansion.
The FBR chairman described the development as a growing megacity along the Grand Trunk Road, noting that its illuminated area has surpassed Karachi’s.
Other major cities have also recorded significant growth. Faisalabad’s illuminated area more than doubled from 403 to 853 square kilometers, while Islamabad and Rawalpindi expanded from 855 to 1,498 square kilometers.
Multan’s illuminated area increased from 277 to 550 square kilometers, while Sialkot’s grew from 154 to 330 square kilometers.
Karachi also expanded from 1,119 to 1,605 square kilometers. Hyderabad’s illuminated area increased from 256 to 334 square kilometers, while Peshawar’s grew from 270 to 311 square kilometers. Quetta and Bahawalpur also recorded increases.
Existing Administrative System Faces Challenges
The FBR chairman argued that government structures have not adapted to the expansion of urban centres.
He pointed out that the growing Lahore urban belt now stretches across four districts but lacks a single governing authority responsible for managing the interconnected region.
He also highlighted Karachi’s fragmented administration, where approximately a dozen land-owning agencies oversee different parts of a city that functions as one economic and urban centre.
The chairman further criticised the lack of empowered local governments in Punjab, saying cities have largely remained under appointed administrators for much of the past decade.
He argued that urban expansion will continue regardless of existing administrative boundaries, making changes to governance structures necessary to manage growing cities effectively.
“The lights have merged. The state has not,” he wrote.
His remarks come amid an ongoing debate over the creation of new provinces and the reorganisation of Pakistan’s administrative boundaries. However, he did not explicitly call for the creation of new provinces or propose any specific changes to provincial boundaries.
