FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO DEMAND FOR NEW PROVINCES IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

The paper delineates the primary factors contributing to the demand for new provinces
in Pakistan by conducting quantitative research. The data has been collected through a
structured questionnaire based on close-ended questions. This study is based on the
responses of indigenous people of Pakistan living in three divisions: Hazara division in
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Karachi Division in Sindh and Multan Division in Punjab. The
data is collected from male and female above 18 years old living in urban or rural areas
in the cities of Haripur, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Karachi, Multan and Vehari where the
demand for new provinces is high. Any individual aged 18 years and above, who has
right to vote and is the permanent resident of the sampled geographic areas is included
in the population of this study. Representative sampling strategy through stratified
sampling has been used. The data is collected from 300 respondents. After the data
collection, data is analysed in the quantitative software of Statistical Package of Social
Sciences (SPSS). Findings of the study show that people desire for new provinces is
rooted in the administrative reasons rather than ethnic. It is also calculated that
people are more sensitive with establishment of new provinces on ethnic identities
because they think that new provinces will lead towards desecration, violence and
clashes in Pakistan.