As an administrative unit, there were provinces even before the Partition of India and, indeed, before the British occupation. However, although the historical reality is far more complex, it may be stated, in simple terms, that the organization of territories largely depended on the dynasty or ruler and often reflected the needs of the ruling elites. These territories were generally created according to the economic, political, and administrative imperatives of their time and were, therefore, always open to change. Thus, many parts of present-day Afghanistan, Iran, India and Pakistan became administrative units under various powerful rulers. These rulers generally established an urban centre as their principal seat of power and appointed deputies, often military generals, to administer and control relatively small or very large parts of a territory. Some kings appointed their brothers and sons as deputies in provinces, called subedars, along with relatives, loyal servants, and military generals. These arrangements were not permanent and could change according to circumstances.

Prior to the revolutionary uprising of 1857, India was governed by competing powers and rulers. ‘Kompany Ki Hukoomat’ (the rule of the East India Company) created the ‘Presidencies’ of Bengal, Madras, and Bombay, each headed by a governor. Following the Regulating Act of 1773, Calcutta became the seat of the Governor-General, whose authority extended over the other governors.  The end of Company rule came after the revolutionary uprising of 1857, when the British Crown took direct control under the Government of India Act of 1858. However, this transfer of power was the culmination of a much longer process of territorial expansion that had already brought large swathes of the subcontinent under Company control. From the First Afghan War in 1839 onwards, and through successive wars, treaties, and agreements with local rulers, the Company expanded its territories in the northwest and elsewhere in what are now parts of Pakistan.

Sindh was annexed in 1843 and incorporated into the Bombay Presidency, while Punjab was annexed in 1849 and constituted as a separate province. British influence and control were subsequently extended over Balochistan and the frontier territories through a combination of agreements, treaties, and military........

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