Hazara region

Makra Peak

Hazara (Hindko: هزاره, Urdu: ہزارہ) is a division of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. It comprises five districts: Abbottabad District, Battagram District, Haripur District, Kohistan District and Mansehra District.

History

Name

Some confuse the name of Hazara with the Hazara people that originated in Afghanistan (Hazarajat), claiming that the Hazara came with Timur after his invasion to India. But actual history brings the traces of this name back to Amir Timur who conquered the area and landed an army of thousand (hazar) at the borders as one of his strategy after conquering, the plain of Haripur up to Hasanabdal and Taxila under Karluke tribe of Turks (Muhammad Irshad Khan of Haripur has written (three volumes published in 1976), the History of Hazara Region being part of the State of Pikhlee). The Pikhlee state constituted areas up to Srinagar in Kashmir Hazara Karluke expanded from Taxila Hasanabdal to Mansehra. The area was named as Hazara Karluke and the latter part of the name was dropped. During the British reign, the Gazeteer has quoted the history of the name of Hazara Karluke. Later on the conqueror Hari Singh Nalwa renamed this Hazara Karluke as Haripur. The whole region was not called Hazara until the British rule made it as a district naming it as Hazara.

Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 13, p. 76: "The origin of the name Hazāra is obscure. It has been identified with Abisāra, the country of Abisares, the chief of the Indian mountaineers at the time of Alexander's invasion. Dr. Stein regards it as derived from Urasā, the ancient name of Pakhli. Another possible derivation is from Hazara-i-Karlugh, or the Karlugh legion, which was settled in this tract by Timur after his invasion of India."

In spite of Imperial Gazetteer's above-quoted views, modern historians and distinguished Indologists including Dr H. C. Raychaudhury, Dr B. N. Mukerjee, Dr B. C. Law, Dr J. C. Vidyalankar, Dr M. Witzel, Dr M. R. Singh and Prof K. N. Dhar concur with Dr Stein's identification of modern Hazara with the ancient Sanskrit name Urasa .

Evidence from 7th c Chinese traveller Hiuen Tsang combined with earlier evidence from Mahabharata attests that Poonch and Hazara District of Kashmir had formed parts of epic Kamboja and that the Kamboja rulers of this region observed republican system of government .

History since Alexander

Alexander the Great and Ashoka

Bust of Alexander III in the British Museum.

Alexander the Great, after conquering parts of Punjab, established his rule over a large part of Hazara. In 327 B.C., Alexander handed this area over to Abisaras (Αβισαρης), the Raja of Poonch state.

Hazara remained a part of Taxila during the rule of the Maurya dynasty. Ashoka the Great was the Governor of this area when he was a prince. After the death of his father Bindusara around 272 B.C., Ashoka inherited the throne and ruled this area as well as Gandhara. Today, the Edicts of Ashoka inscribed on three large boulders near Bareri Hill serve as evidence of his rule here. The Mansehra rocks record fourteen of Ashoka's edicts, presenting aspects of the emperor's dharma or righteous law, and represent the earliest irrefutable evidence of writing in South Asia. Dating to middle of the third century BC, they are written from right to left in the Kharosthi script.

Hazara has several places of significance for the Hindus related to the Pandavas.

'There are the five Pandavas, the heroes of the Mahabharat favourite objects of worship in the east and sometimes addressed as the Panj Pir. Many are the legends current about these heroes and they are localised at quite a number of places. The Hill of Mokshpuri , just above Dunga Gali has an elevation of 9232 feet. Its name means 'the hill of salvation' and on its summit is a Panduan da Sthan, or place of the Pandavas, where it is said they were visited and tempted by Apsaras who still frequent the place .

In the 2nd century CE, a mythical king Raja Risalu, son of Raja Salbahan of Sialkot, brought the area under his control. The local people consider him as their hero and, even today, parents tell their children the stories of Raja Risalu and his wife Rani Konklan on winter nights. When a Chinese pilgrim, Hiun-Tsang, visited this area, it was under the control of Durlabhavardhana, the ruler of Kashmir.

The Turkish Shahi Dynasties ruled Hazara one after another. Among the Hindu Shahi dynasty rulers, Raja Jayapala is the best known. Mehmood of Ghazni defeated Raja Jayapala during his first campaign. However, there is no historical evidence that Mehmood of Ghazni ever visited or passed through Mansehra. After the fall of the Shahi dynasty, in the 11th century, the Kashmiris took control of this area under the leadership of Kalashan (1063 to 1089). From 1112 to 1120, King Susala ruled this area. In the 12th century, Asalat Khan captured this area but soon after Mohammad of Ghor's death the Kashmiris once again regained control of Hazara.

Amb and its surrounding areas of Hazara have a long history which can be traced to Alexander the Great's invasion of India. Arrian, Alexander's historian, did not indicate the exact location of Embolina, but since it is known that Aoronos was on the right bank of the River Indus, the town chosen to serve as Alexander's base of supplies may with good reason be also looked for there. The mention in Ptolemy's Geography of Embolima as a town of Indo-Scythia situated on the Indus supports this theory.

In 1854 General Abbott, the British frontier officer from whom Abbottabad, administrative centre of Hazara, takes its name, discussed his location of Aornos on the Mahaban range south of Buner. He proposed, as M. Court, one of Ranjit Singh's French generals had done before him in 1839, to recognize Embolima in the present village of Amb situated on the right bank of the Indus. It lies about eight miles to the east of Mahaban and is the place from which the Nawabs of Amb take their title.

Turkish rule

Akbar as a boy around 1557

In 1399, the great Muslim warrior Timur, on his return to Kabul, stationed his Turk soldiers in Hazara to protect the important route between Kabul and Kashmir. By 1472, Prince Shahab-ud-Din came from Kabul and established his rule over the region. Prince Shahab-ud-Din, a Turk of central Asian origin, founded the state and named it Pakhli Sarkar and chose Gulibagh as his capital. During the Mughal rule, these local Turkish chiefs acknowledged Mughal authority. In fact, Hazara (Pakhli) provided the main route to Kashmir and was the most commonly used route for Emperor Akbar to travel to Kashmir. During the last days of Emperor Akbar's rule, the Turkish Chief Sultan Hussain Khan revolted against the Mughals. He claimed that the Mughals were interfering with his internal affairs. After this complaint, he was exiled by the Mughals, but later was pardoned and given back his land meanwhile Karlals snatched the lower Hazara again from the Turks and re established their dominion. In 1703, the Turk rule came to end and large number of Turks migrated to nearby Kashmir and other far off places. This tribe has the smallest population in Hazara but still they are considered one of the royal classes in Hazara District. Now, descendants of these Turkish rulers live in village girwal Behali and some other villages of Mansehra, Abbottabad, and Haripur districts.

Durrani rule

When Ahmad Shah Durrani expanded his kingdom to Punjab, Hazara also came under his control. Durrani considered it wise to rule the area through local tribal chiefs, like Saadat Khan and Faqir Khan of Garhi Habibullah. Saadat Khan was such an authoritative man amongst Swatis whereas Faqir Khan was the khakan of his Mughal tribe and they were considered to be the fighting machines, even disputed matters of Jadoons and Tanolis had been sent to them for rectification through jirgas.Where as in the mountainous region of Abbottabad Karlals due to geographical advantage of difficult terrain retained their independence against any outside authority. The Durranis' rule ended abruptly in the beginning of the 18th century.

The first quarter of the 18th century was miserable for the Turks. Their rule came to an end due to the decay of their vitality and the increasing aggression of the Pukhtoons. The most crucial attack was that of the Swatis in 1703, under the command of Syed Jalal Baba who was a son-in-law of last Turk ruler, Sultan Mehmud Khurd. During the absence of his father-in-law Syed Jalal Baba invited Swatis to invade Pakhli Sarkar. Being an insider, he provided crucial information to invading forces and succeeded in overthrowing his in-laws through his shrewd conspiracy. Turks had already became weak due to their internal feuds, as well. Swatis thus ousted the Turks from upper Hazara (Mansehra and Batagram) and captured it.Karlals captured lower Hazara mountainous regions of Abbottabad and Haripur and establish their own tribal dominion.

The Tanolis, who founded a state named Amb, had already established their authority over Tanawal. The voluminous Urdu copy of the settlement report of Hazara compiled by Major Wace in 1872 contains many passages in its historical resume of the area. In a number of maps drawn at the time and enclosed in the report, showing Hazara under the Mughals and under the Durranis, the Amb state has been shown as Mulk-i-Tanawal. The original existence of that Mulk is as old as the middle period of the great Afghan invasions of India. Their leader Nawab Khan (Father of Painda Khan) never accepted the Durrani Rule and used to heavily tax the Durrani caravans which passed through the Mulk-e-Tanawal. He defeated the Durranis in battle but met his death at the hands of Sardar Azim Khan Durrani in 1818, who invited him to his camp and killed him by treachery. Upper Tanawal and Lower Tanawal, covering the greater part of Hazara, have been ruled by Tanolis for centuries.

Sikh rule

Durrani rule had weakened considerably at the beginning of the 19th century. The Sikhs annexed Hazara in two stages. Lower Hazara except Karlal country became tributary to the Sikhs as soon as they wrested the Fort of Attock from the Durranis.In order to gain control over Karlal country Ranjit Singh sent a large force under famous General Amar singh Majitta which was defeated by Karlals with great slaughter. Amar singh was also murdered by Karlals.Ranjit singh himself then attacked Hazara and reduced all the warring tribes into submission. Karlals taking advantage of their terrain fled to the higher mountains. Upper Hazara suffered a similar fate when the Sikhs took Kashmir from the Barakzais in 1819. The Sikhs fought many sanguinary battles with the turbulent tribes that inhabited this region.

Painda Khan Tanoli was the tribal chief of the Tanolis at the time of the invasion of Hazara by the Sikhs. Painda Khan is famed for his staunch rebellion against Maharaja Ranjit Singh's Governors of Hazara. He was the son of Mir Nawab Khan, who defeated the Durranis and freed his kingdom from their influence.

From about 1813, he spent a life long rebellion against the Sikhs. Painda Khan's relentless rebellion against the Sikh empire, cost him a major portion of his Kingdom, leaving only his twin capitals Amb and Darband. However, this deterred him less and appeared to increase his resistance against the Sikh government. The District Gazetteer of the North West Frontier Province (p138) confirms, "Painda Khan, played a considerable part in the history of his time and vigorously opposed the Sikhs." General Abbott commented that 'During the first period of Painda Khan's career, he was far too vigorous and powerful to be molested by any neighbouring tribe, and when he began to fail before the armies and purse of the Sikh Government, he was interested in keeping upon the best terms with his northern neighbours of the Black Mountains.' He is further described as a Chief renowned on the Border, a wild and energetic man who was never subjugated by the Sikhs.

His son Jehandad Khan also followed his footsteps. "Of all the tribal chiefs of Hazara, the most powerful said to be Jehandad Khan of the Tanoli, whose land straddled both banks of the Indus and whose fellow-tribesmen were 'brave and hardy and accounted for the best swordsmen in Hazara'. There was a long history of conflict between Jehandad Khan's family and the Sikhs, and the name of his father Painda Khan, was said to be 'magic to the ears of the people of Hazara' because of the struggles he fought on behalf of his 'poor circumscribed and rugged principality' against the Sikhs.

Shergarh Fort, Summer residence, Nawab of Amb

When Sikh power was on the fall in 1845 Jehandad Khan blockaded the garrisons of no less than 22 Sikh posts in Upper Tanawal ; and when they surrendered at discretion, he spared their lives, as the servants of a fallen Empire.

However in 1845 the local populace, taking advantage of the problems in Lahore (the capital of the Sikh Empire), rose up in rebellion. They drove the governor of Hazara, Diwan Mulraj, to Hasan Abdal in 1846. However, with the conclusion of the first Sikh War, Hazara along with Kashmir was given to Raja Gulab Singh. But in 1847 the Raja gave back Hazara to the Lahore Darbar in exchange for land near Jammu, and Hazara passed into British control.

British rule

After the first Sikh War, the area was governed by Major James Abbott. Abbott managed to secure and pacify the area within a year. During the Second Sikh War Abbott and his men were cut off by the Sikh army from supplies and reinforcements from the rest of the British Army, but were able to maintain their position.

By 1849, the British had gained control of all of Mansehra. However, the western Pashtun tribes remained rebellious. These tribes included the clans of Allai, Batagram in the Nandhiar valley, and the tribes inhabiting both slopes of the Black Mountain of Hazara.

In 1852, after three years of relative peace, Zaman Shah of Kaghan turned against the British. James Abbot sent an expedition to Kaghan which deprived Zaman Shah of his territory and he was exiled to Pakhli plain. After four years the British forgave him and he was permitted to get back his lost territory.

The British sent many expeditions against the Pashtun tribes to crush the rebellion between 1852 and 1892, especially against the Black Mountains. Along with some parts of Balakot which are located near to the boundary of Azad Jammu & Kashmir including Neelum Valley to stop the resistance by Mughal tribes and those tribes were command by Faqir Khan of Lambian Pattian.

To maintain peace in the area the British also took preventive measures by co-opting the local rulers.

The British accepted the Independence of the Nawab of Amb; within his own territory and thus no writ of the British Government, civil or criminal, was ever enacted within the Tanoli State of Amb. The smaller Tanoli State of Phulra, which was granted by Painda Khan to his brother Madad Khan, was also ackhnowledged by the Britishers as a semi-independent Princely State. Thus the British Government agreed not to meddle with the affairs of the Tanoli territory of Hazara, with the mutual understanding that the Tanolis would not attack the British controlled territories.In Abbotabad Karlal country remained tribulent during the initial phase of British rule.According to Mutiny reports of district Hazara 1857 Karlals tried to attack Muree garrison along with Dondh tribesmen during mutiny. Karlal chief Sardar Hassan Ali Khan was imprisoned by British and many of the mutineers of this tribe were hanged by the British army. The British divided Hazara District into three Tehsils (administrative subdivisions) : Mansehra, Abbottabad, and Haripur; and decided to annex it to the Punjab. In 1901, when the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) was formed, Hazara was separated from Punjab and made a part of NWFP. Throughout their rule in Mansehra, the British met fierce resistance from the local Pashtun tribes and declared martial law. Meanwhile, the people of Mansehra's many villages largely governed themselves. Many of Mansehra's citizens joined the Khilafat movement.

When the all India Muslim League started its movement for a separate land, In 1936 the first and founding meeting of Muslim league in hazara was convened at abbottabad at the residence of Noor-Ud-Din Qureshi.In this meeting the leaders of all India Muslim league Nawab Bhadur Yar Jang, Mulana Shoukat Ali, Hamid badayuni and other came from India, the local people joined and struggled for liberation under the leadership of Noor-ud-din qureshi.while in mansera in the same year Muslim league was organised by Ali Gohar Khan and Hakim Abdul Karim, both were elected as first president and General sectrary of district Muslim League Mansehra, Quaid-i-Azam.During the final phase of movement for the creation of Pakistan Khan Bahadur Capt Sardar Zain Muhammad Khan elder and leader of the Karlal tribe,Jalaludin Khan alis Jalal baba popular leader of Abbottabad city and Mulvi Muhammad Ishaq Khateeb-e-Hazara were most prominent Muslim league leaders from Hazara. Capt Sardar Zain Muhammad khan (OBI)and Jalal Baba not only defeated their congress rivals in the elections of 1946 from their respective rural and urban Constituencies but also politically routed All India congress from this region and Muslim league captured all the assembly seats except one from District Hazara in the crucial elections of 1946.In the famous Dehli convention of Muslim League parlimentrians chaired by Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah which finally voted for division of India and creation of Pakistan Capt sardar Zain Muhammad Khan(OBI) represented Hazara. These Muslim League Leaders were also able to mobilize people of this area in favour of the referendum for the creation of Pakistan.Their eventual victory culminated in the creation of Pakistan, an independent state for the Muslims of the South Asia.

Nawab Sir Muhammad Farid Khan (KBE) of Amb State had also very good relations with The Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Nawabzada Liaqat Ali Khan. His contributions to the Pakistan movement have been acknowledged by letters from The Quaid e Azam. In 1947 the Nawab of Amb, Mohammad Farid Khan, acceded to Pakistan by signing the Instrument of Accession of his State, in favour of Pakistan. In 1969, the State was incorporated into the Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa and in 1971 the royal status of the Nawab was abolished by the Government of Pakistan.Pakistan movement and Politics

During Bhutto's regime, Mansehra was upgraded to a district, containing two subdivisions: Mansehra and Batagram. Later, the Mansehra district had the Balakot subdivision added to it.

Hazara has one of the major industrial areas of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, including Telephone Industry of Pakistan (TIP) and the Hattar Industrial zone. This region is famous for Tarbela Dam, which is the largest earth filled dam in the world and generates most of the hydro electricity generated in Pakistan. Kakul Military Academy at Abbottabad is where all military officers of Pakistan get training. It is also region of tea plantations and best grade tobacco of Pakistan, in Mansehra. Karakoram highway pass through Hazara, while not through rest of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa.

Independence

During British rule, the region of Hazara had formed part of the Punjab province, until the western parts of that province were separated to form the new North West Frontier Province. The areas around Abbottabad and Mansehra became the Hazara District of Peshawar Division, whilst areas to the north of this became the Hazara Tribal Agency and the Kohistan Tribal Agency. Sandwiched between Hazara Tribal Agency and the Hazara district were the small princely states of Amb and Phulra. This system of administration continued until 1950, when these two small states were incorporated into the Hazara district.

In this picture seated (left to right): Sahibzada Mohammad Khurshid (first Pakistani Governor of the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan), Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan (Liāqat Alī Khān) (Urdu: لیاقت علی خان) listen (help·info) (2 October 1896 – 16 October 1951) the first Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawab Sir Muhammad Farid Khan (Nawab of Amb) and Begum Ra'ana Liaquat Ali Khan (wife of Liaquat Ali Khan. Darband, Amb State, 1949.

From 1955 to 1970, the North West Frontier Province became part of West Pakistan under the One Unit policy, with the Hazara district forming part of the Peshawar division of West Pakistan. On the dissolution of West Pakistan, the Hazara district and the two tribal agencies were merged to form the new Hazara division with its capital at Abbottabad. The division was initially composed of three districts (Abbottabad, Kohistan and Mansehra) but within a few years, Haripur district was spun off from Abbottabad District and Batagram District was spun off from Mansehra District.

The city of Abbottabad was founded in 1853 by Maj. James Abbott, who was the first Deputy Commissioner of Hazara District. Nawan-shehr, situated towards Thandiyani, existed before the creation of Abbottabad is a part of Abbottabad urban area. Hazara remained a District right up to its conversion into a Division in 1976. In October 1976, Mansehra was given the status of a full fledged District, which consisted of Mansehra and Batagram Tehsils. Subsequently in July 1991, Haripur Tehsil was separated from Abbottabad and made into a District. Thus only the old Tehsil of Abbottabad remained, which was declared as Abbottabad District.

In 2000, administrative divisions were abolished and the fourth tier districts were raised to become the new third tier of government in Pakistan.

Geography and climate

Hazara is bounded on the north and east by the Northern Areas and Azad Kashmir. To the south are the Islamabad Capital Territory and the province of Punjab, whilst to the west lies the rest of the Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa. The river Indus runs through the division in a north-south line, forming much of the western border of the division. The total area of Hazara is 18,013 km².

Because it lies immediately south of the main Himalaya Range, and is exposed to moist winds from the Arabian Sea, Hazara is the wettest part of Pakistan. At Abbottabad, annual rainfall averages around 1,200 millimetres (47 in) but has been as high as 1,800 millimetres (71 in) , whilst in parts of Mansehra District such as Balakot the mean annual rainfall is as high as 1,750 millimetres (69 in) . Due to its location on the boundary between the monsoonal summer rainfall regime of East Asia and the winter-dominant Mediterranean climate of West Asia, Hazara has an unusual bimodal rainfall regime, with one peak in February or March associated with frontal southwest cloudbands and another monsoonal peak in July and August. The driest months are October to December, though in the wettest parts even these months average around 40 millimetres (1.6 in) .

Due to the high altitude, temperatures in Hazara are cooler than on the plains, though Abbottabad at 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) still has maxima around 32°C (90°F) with high humidity in June and July. Further up, temperatures are cooler, often cooler than the Northern Areas valleys due to the cloudiness. In winter, temperatures are cold, with minima in January around 0°C (32°F) and much lower in the high mountains. Snowfalls are not uncommon even at lower levels.

Hazara lies close to the crossroads formed by the river Indus and the Grand Trunk Road. The Karakoram Highway begins at the town of Havelian and goes north through the division towards China via the Northern Areas.

Population

The population of the Hazara region was estimated to be over 4.5 million in 2005. The total area of Hazara is 18013 km²: See table below.

Hazara region: Statistics

District	Area (km²)	Population (Millions)
Abbottabad	1802	1
Batagram	1310	0.5
Haripur	1763	0.7
Kohistan	7581	0.6
Mansehra	5957	1.4

Demographics and society

File:Crop-bhanda.JPG

Hazara University Mansehra on Map

The area is populated by the Híndko people, who speak the Hindko language as their mother tongue, and by those who speak Pashto as their mother tongue. Pashto ais predominant in Batagram, 65% of the population of Mansehra speaks Hindko while most of the remaining speak Pashto. Pashto and Kohistaniare spoken in Kohistan.

Main tribes

The tribes in Hazara are Karlal, Utmanzai, Jadoon, Rajpoot, Gujjar, Awan, Sheikh, Turk, Durrani, Tanoli, Dhund Abbasi, Syed (both shiites Tirmizi, Kazmi, Turabi and sunnites Mashwani), Paracha, Swati, Kashmiri, Qureshi, Gakhar, Tareen, Mughal, Tahirkheli, Dilazak, Panni, Bib, Sarrara, Sulemani.

Afghan refugees, although predominantly Pashtun (including the Ghilzai and Durrani tribes), and other smaller groups are found throughout the Division. There is a considerable presence of Tajiks, Uzbeks (Mazar-e-Sharif Restaurant) and Hazara in the area.

The population of Hazara was estimated to be over 4.5 million in 2005.

Movement for Hazara Province

Like the movement of Saraiki speaking people in Punjab Province, the people of Hazara also raised a voice of the same kind in the 1980s. This movement, which was founded in 1987, is named "Hazara Qaumi Mahaz" (HQM). The movement which has members across the country recently rose to prominence again with leaders again raising a demand for Hazara Province.

In April 2010, it was announced that through an amendment in the constitution of Pakistan, the name of North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) would be changed to Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa leading to protests across the Hazara region, where Hindko speakers are dominant as compared to the Pashto speakers. The announcement of the new name also lead to calls from Hazara for a new separate province. Ten persons died, and nearly two hundred hurt during the rallies and protest all over Hazara region against Khyber Phakhtoonkhwa and creation of new province Hazara in April, 2010.

A complete wheel-jam and shutter-down strike was observed in the Hazara belt on second May, 2010, in support of the demand for a Hazara province and against the renaming of NWFP as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Traffic remained suspended all day while business centres were closed in Mansehra, Battagram, Kohistan and Haripur. Peaceful demonstrations and rallies were also carried out and no loss of life or property was reported from any district of the division.

Meanwhile, a large public meeting was organised by the Tehreek-e-Hazara movement at the Shuhada Chowk, which was chaired by Haider Zaman Khan and attended by members Gohar Ayub Khan, Amanullah Jadoon, Dr Azhar Jadoon, Sardar Yaqoob Khan, Qalandar Lodhi among others from the districts of Hazara.

Traders and transporters also participated in the strike, while the protesters kept the Silk Route blocked all day. Demonstrators burnt tyres on the road and, later, gathered at the Shuhada Chowk, where HPMC members addressed the crowd.

Long march: The speakers said the demand for Hazara province would be achieved through a revolution and not a resolution. Leaders of the movement also threatened holding a long march towards Islamabad in case their demand for a separate province was not met. They said they would not hold talks with the federal or provincial governments.

The HPMC chairman said the struggle for obtaining a separate Hazara province was the need of the hour and asked the people to stay united on the stance.

Haider said the ANP government was mistaken in thinking it could stop the activists by using force. “The government should know that using police will compel the peaceful demonstrators to use arms against them.” He urged the government to accept Hazara province as a reality for the betterment of the people.

He said the people of Hazara could not adjust to the newly-created Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and told the people they should prepare themselves for rendering more sacrifices until the 19th amendment is tabled. The announcement of the new name also led to calls from Hazara for a new separate province.

The Ulema and Mashaikh on May, 18, 2010, Tuesday vowed to join the peaceful movement for the creation of a separate province of Hazara.

Speaking at a conference arranged by the Tehrik Sooba Hazara, Maulana Shafiqur Rehman, Abdur Razaq Abbasi, Ibrar Swati, Maulana Sarfaraz Farooqi, Peer Azhar Bakoi, Maulana Yousaf Shah, Maulana Iqbal Qureshi and others said that all the leaders should launch joint struggle to achieve the objective.

“We will extend every possible support but the struggle for a separate province must be peaceful,” Maulana Shafiqur Rehman said, adding the country could not afford further unrest and chaos.

Other speakers said that efforts should not be made to isolate any political party or leader and instead a joint struggle be launched to achieve the objective. The Ulema said that they were against the renaming of the province on ethnic lines, adding that people of Hazara would oppose every move aimed at weakening the nation.

Chairman of Tehrik-e-Suba Hazara Sardar Haider Zaman on Saturday rejected the judicial commission’s report on the April 12 firing incident in Abbottabad.

“Neither politicians nor the public are responsible for the tragedy. It is the Awami National Party-led provincial government, police and local administration who are directly responsible for killing of unarmed protesters in the April 12 riots,” Haider Zaman told a public meeting in Jabori.

Sardar Mohammad Yousuf, Syed Qasim Shah, Tariq Khan Swati, Shahzada Gustasap Khan and Junaid Qasim also spoke on occasion.

Haider Zaman said the movement had provided video of the incident to the commission, giving details as to who was responsible for the tragedy as the police fired on people who were running for shelter. He said enforcement of Section-144 didn’t allow police to fire at demonstrators and use government machinery to take violent action against people.

Haider Zaman said the provincial government prior to enforcement of Section-144 sent Peshawar police personnel in plainclothes and armoured vehicles to crush peaceful protesters, “which revealed the provincial government’s intentions.”

He said that if the commission found the involvement of “hidden hand,” it should have exposed it and made it public to avert such tragedies in future. The Tehrik leader said the report should be made accessible to media and public.

Notable people

Politicians

• President Muhammad Ayub Khan (Field Marshal) - President of Pakistan (Rehana Haripur)
• Jalal-ud-Din (Jalal Baba) - MLA, Minister of the Interior, Salar-i-ahla Muslim League Guards
• Gohar Ayub Khan - Speaker National Assembly
• Sardar Muhammad Yousuf (Mansehra) - MNA and District Nazim
• Nawabzada Salahuddin Saeed Khan - Nawab of Amb, ex-MNA
• Sardar Muhammad Mushtaq Khan - present MNA of Haripur

Military leaders

• President Muhammad Ayub Khan (Field Marshal) - President of Pakistan (Rehana Haripur)
• Asghar Khan - Air Marshal and Chief Tareeq-e-Isteqlal

Judiciary

• Sardar Muhammad Raza Khan - Justice (retired), Supreme Court of Pakistan

Sports

• Yasir Hameed - international cricket player