Quetta divided into two districts as Balochistan govt creates 5 new districts

The Balochistan government has split Quetta district into two separate districts and created five new districts in the province.

According to a notification issued by the Revenue Department on July 8, the provincial government has created new divisions, districts, sub-divisions, tehsils and sub-tehsils, while also revising the boundaries of several existing administrative units.

With the changes, the number of divisions has increased from eight to 11, while the total number of districts has risen from 36 to 41.

As part of the restructuring, Quetta district has been divided into East Quetta and West Quetta. East Quetta comprises the Saddar, City and Sariab sub-divisions, while West Quetta includes Kuchlak as well as the newly created Brewery and Panjpai sub-divisions. Brewery has also been established as a new tehsil.

The notification also places Mastung district under Quetta division after separating it from Kalat division.

Kalat division has been abolished and replaced by two new divisions — Khuzdar and Lasbela. Khuzdar division will consist of Khuzdar, Kalat, Surab and the newly created Wadh district, while Lasbela division will include Lasbela, Hub and Awaran districts.

The government has restored the name of Surab district by renaming Shaheed Sikandarabad district. Zehri sub-division and tehsil have also been transferred from Khuzdar to Surab.

Several new administrative units have also been created across the province, including new sub-divisions and tehsils in Gwadar, Jaffarabad, Sohbatpur, Zhob and Sherani districts.

The notification further renames Upper Dera Bugti as North Dera Bugti and Lower Dera Bugti as South Dera Bugti. It also changes the official spellings of Makran division to "Makuran" and Sibi division and Sibi city to "Sevi".

In addition, Kachhi district has been shifted from Naseerabad division to Sevi division, while Ziarat and Harnai districts have been transferred from Sevi division to Loralai division.