Time for Provincial Status

Dera Ghazi Khan Division, with a population of 12.83 million and an area of 38,778 km², is larger than several countries in population and land area. Despite its strong agricultural output, it faces poverty, underdevelopment, and chronic neglect, receiving just 5.22% of Punjab’s FY 2024-25 development budget. Around 30% to 35% of its population lives in poverty, 26% to 41% of children are out of school, literacy hovers around 47.86%, and approximately 45,000 crime cases are reported annually. Experts believe that granting provincial status could be a game-changer, ensuring fair representation, improved governance, and balanced development.

Key Socio-Economic Indicators

Youth Unemployment 12–15%

Development Budget Allocation of Punjab (2024–25) 5.22%

Annually Registered Crime Cases 45,000 annually

Lacking Basic Health Facilities 40% rural population

Literacy Rates 47.86% (about 48%)

Lacking Road Connectivity 55%

No Drainage and Sanitation Over 35%

Population Below the Poverty Line 30–35% population

Children Stunted Growth 34% children under 5

Key Challenges

Dera Ghazi Khan Division is facing a set of long standing structural and developmental challenges, including weak healthcare infrastructure, low education indicators, water scarcity, environmental degradation, and limited economic opportunities.

Health Overload:

Healthcare facilities in Dera Ghazi Khan Division are under pressure due to population growth, limited hospital capacity, shortage of specialists, and lack of advanced equipment. Many patients are referred to larger cities for treatment.
Education Shortfalls:

The division faces a shortage of quality schools, colleges, and technical institutes. Teacher shortages, low female participation, and high dropout rates in rural areas limit education outcomes.
Sewerage Pollution:

Weak sewerage systems, poor drainage, and inadequate waste management cause pollution in urban and rural settlements. Flooding further worsens sanitation conditions in low-lying areas.
Drinking Water:

Safe drinking water access is limited in many rural and riverine areas. Dependence on unsafe groundwater leads to waterborne diseases and health risks.
Employment Challenges:

The region has a weak industrial base and depends mainly on agriculture. Limited investment and few formal job opportunities result in high unemployment, especially among youth.
Budget Allocation:

In a striking disparity, Dera Ghazi Khan Division receives a mere 5.22% of Punjab’s FY 2024–25 development budget.

Key challenges in Dera Ghazi Khan Division — water, sanitation, poverty and education

Governance Deficits

Sewerage Overload

D.G. Khan division faces lower operational efficiency of sewerage disposal stations compared to Lahore.

D.G. Khan Division

31/45 (69% Operational, in deteriorated condition)

Lahore Division

124/124 (100% Operational)

Poor Road Infrastructure

Dera Ghazi Khan’s main transport routes are badly broken down, and the key link roads have stayed ruined for years because of heavy dump trucks carrying stones and minerals.

Drinking Water

D.G. Khan Division faces a much worse lack of access to public water schemes than Lahore Division.

Population Lacking Access

D.G. Khan

62%

Lahore

28%

Poverty Rate

Compared to Lahore, D.G. Khan is facing a much deeper poverty challenge.

D.G. Khan

22.96%

Lahore

4%–5%

Health Indicators

Stunted Growth & Wasting

Child malnutrition, including stunting and wasting, is significantly worse in D.G. Khan than in Lahore.

Stunted

Dera Ghazi Khan

41%

Lahore

27%

Wasting

Dera Ghazi Khan

7.5%

Lahore

7.7%

Beds per 1,000 People

The availability of hospital beds is considerably lower in Dera Ghazi Khan than in Lahore.

Dera Ghazi Khan: 0.33 beds per 1,000 people
Lahore: 1.2 beds per 1,000 people

Teaching & Specialized Hospitals

Lahore has a much stronger network of teaching and specialized hospitals than Dera Ghazi Khan Division.

Dera Ghazi Khan Division

2–3

Lahore

Child Health Crisis

The child health situation in D.G. Khan is far more alarming than in Lahore.

Infant Mortality (deaths per 1,000 live births)

D.G. Khan: 90
Lahore: 44

Child Mortality (deaths per 1,000 live births)

D.G. Khan: 124
Lahore: 52

Health Professionals per 1,000 People

The health workforce is much weaker in Dera Ghazi Khan than in Lahore.

D.G. Khan: 0.6–0.8
Lahore: 1.2

Education Shortfalls

Out of School Children (Age 5–16)

D.G. Khan faces a far greater challenge of out-of-school children than Lahore.

D.G. Khan

26%–34%

Lahore

Net Enrolment Rate (Primary Age 6–10)

D.G. Khan faces a much deeper education gap in net enrolment than Lahore.

D.G. Khan

55%–62%

Lahore

70%

Access to Schools

Limited school access remains a serious concern in D.G. Khan.

D.G. Khan

60% (rural ~50% or lower)

Lahore

90%

Judicial Stats

Lahore High Court

In the Lahore High Court, approximately 5,000–11,000 cases are estimated from D.G. Khan Division. Consequently, this represents roughly 3%–6% of the total caseload.

Estimated cases from D.G. Khan

5,000–11,000

Share of total caseload

3%–6%

Lower Courts (Dera Ghazi Khan Division)

In the lower courts of D.G. Khan Division, 31,171 criminal cases and 45,473 civil cases are currently pending. Consequently, the total number of pending cases in the lower courts of the D.G. Khan Division amounts to 76,644.

Criminal cases pending

31,171

Civil cases pending

45,473

Total pending cases

76,644

Annually Registered Crime Cases

Approximately 45,000 crime cases are registered annually across division according to Punjab Police district crime patterns and FIR statistics for the southern Punjab.

Annually registered

45,000

Global Comparison:

Pakistan: 241.5 million people with 04 provinces

India: Had 9 states at independence; now has 37. New states are created every five years, doubling the pace of development.

China: 1.4 billion people with 31 provinces.

USA: 320 million people with 50 states.

Indonesia: 275 million people with 34 provinces.

Russia: 142 million people with 70 to 75 provinces.