Hazara Province Movement
Hazara Province Movement (Urdu/Hindko: تحریک صوبہ ہزارہ) is a movement aimed at creating the Hazara Province in the Hazara division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.[1]
History of the Movement
This movement began in 1957, when regional lawyers Mufti Idrees and Abdul Khaliq first raised the question of a separate province: Hazara.[2] In 1987, Hazara Qaumi Mahaz (HQM) was founded by Malik Asif, a prominent advocate who campaigned for the creation of a separate province.[3]
2010 Protests
The Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan was passed on the 8th of April 2010, which among other changes, renamed the North-West Frontier Province to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The name change of the Province was met with strong opposition from the people of Hazara and protests erupted in the region with wheel and shutter jam strikes. Abbottabad became the nerve center of the movement. On the 10th of April, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police fired at unarmed protesters, leaving 7 dead and dozens injured.[4] Allegedly, the firing was ordered by the coalition government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, led by the Awami National Party.[5] This is one of the earliest incidents of police brutality in Pakistan in recent years,[clarification needed] occurring before the Model Town Lahore incident, whose FIR has not been registered still today.[6]
Later Developments
In 2014, the resolution for the creation of the Hazara Province was adopted by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.[7] The movement slowed down and shrunk to only observing the 12th of April martyrs anniversary. This was due to the non-seriousness of the region's representatives, divisions between the movement's factions, and the death of the movement's pioneer, Baba Haider Zaman, in 2018.[8]
In 2020, the movement started again when the government began work for the creation of the South Punjab province. Hazara's leaders sought to include the creation of the Hazara Province along with it.[9] A bill for the creation of the Hazara province has also been tabled in the Parliament of Pakistan.[10]
Notable Leaders
- Baba Haider Zaman (founder)
- Sardar Muhammad Yousuf
- Malik Asif (advocate)
- Gohar Ayub Khan
See Also
- Hazara, Pakistan
- Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan
- 2014 Lahore clash
- List of cases of law enforcement brutality in Pakistan
References
- ^ Shaheen, Sikander (8 July 2010). "'Welcome to Hazara province'". The Nation. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Orakzai, Rifatullah (16 April 2010). "آخر ہم ہیں کون؟". BBC Urdu. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Munir, Mohammad (2017). "Realities of a Separate Hazara Province". Retrieved 11 April 2020.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Seven killed in Abbottabad violence". Dawn.com. 13 April 2010. Retrieved 11 April 2010.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Shaheen, Sikander (14 April 2010). "Complete strike observed in Hazara Division". The Nation. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Abbottabad firing incident: Tehreek Suba Hazara to request Khattak to order registration of FIR". The Express Tribune. 17 September 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "KP Assembly adopts resolution to create Hazara province". Dawn.com. 21 March 2014. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Yousafzai, Shahabullah (24 October 2018). "Man behind Hazara province movement, Baba Haider Zaman passes away at 84". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Rehman, Ziaur (3 February 2020). "Why Hazara province movement has resumed from Karachi". The News International. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Asad, Malik (21 August 2019). "Bill seeking to create new provinces referred to NA speaker". Dawn.com. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)