Realities of a Separate Hazara

Province
The administrative division of a country into smaller units, provinces, entities or
states is the pre-requisite of its smooth functioning and unhindered development.
The division should be based on the fulfillment of the needs of the people and
its productivity for the state. In this regard, the considerations of its geography,
history, language, ethnicity etc., may be helpful. Most of the countries of the
world have created new units in order to meet the growing demands of their
peoples and to improve their administrative systems.

India has at present 29 states and 7 union territories whereas it had 14 provinces
in 1947. Iran had 12 provinces till 1950; it has now 26 provinces and 9
dependencies. The US with 50 administrative units, Turkey with 81, and China
with 34 provinces have been developing well economically and politically. Even
though it can be argued that these three countries are much bigger in size and it
makes sense to divide them into smaller administrative units, however, It’s not
just a matter of size. Even countries which are much smaller in size than Pakistan
have more provinces than Pakistan. Austria with 8 million people and area
almost equal to the size of the Khyber Pukhtunkhwa (KP) has 9 provinces.
Afghanistan with a weaker economy has 31 provinces.

Moreover, the re-organization of the provinces from time to time is common in

all countries. China has re-organizesd its provinces several times since 1949.

Pakistan is the 6th most populous and the 33rd largest country in the world. Its
population density makes it 56th in the list of countries with 245 peoples living
per square kilometer. However, the creation of new administrative units have
never been welcomed by the larger ethnic and linguistics groups in any of the
four existing provinces for the fear that their resources would be divided and
ultimately occupied by the communities living in the new smaller provinces.

One such demand is that of Hazara of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) as a separate

province. A demand that has been denied by the rulers at the cost of the people of
this area.

Hazara with total area of 18,013 km² and over 6 million population, lies
immediately south of the main Himalaya Range. It is bounded on the north and
east by the Northern Areas and Azad Kashmir. To the south lies the Islamabad
Capital Territory and the province of Punjab, whilst to the west is the rest of KP.
On its west, it does not connect with the rest of the KP through roads while it
does have direct road communication system with the northern areas, Azad
Jammu and Kashmir, Islamabad territory and Punjab. This geographical
detachment of the region from the rest of the KP makes its people use the road
through Punjab in order to reach the provincial capital. The case of the travelling
of its people from Kohistan, Kala Dhaka and Battagram is more adverse who have
to make at least one night transit stay at Mansehra or Abbottabad for their
further journey to Peshawar.

Hazara has always been a separate region through all the phases of history.
Alexander the Great, after conquering parts of Punjab, established his rule over a
large part of Hazara in 327 B.C . The Chinese traveler Hiuen Tsang has described
Hazara an important region of the state of Kamboja, whose rulers followed a
republican form of government. Ashoka was the governor of Hazara during the
great Mauriya dynasty. The later rules of the Turk, Durrani, Sikhs and British
could not break the cultural identity and unity of Hazara and it remained a
separate region under all of them. Gazetteer of the Hazara District 1883-4 and
1907 written by the British serve witness to the separate identity of this region.
This book describes the distinct culture and living of the peoples of Hazara from
their brethren in the KP and Punjab.

Hazara remained a separate province till 1901, after which the British attached it
with KP, then called North West Frontier Province, to make a separate province
from Punjab.

The creation of Pakistan was based on the two-nation theory. However, deviation
from the theory resulted in the breakup of the West Pakistan in December, 1971
on the ethnic grounds. Even now, the rulers have not learnt any lesson from it
and failed to accommodate ethnic identities of the peoples who wanted a separate
provincial status to preserve their status quo in the provincial set-up. The
problem of ethnic and regional sub-nationalism in the smaller provinces is
critical and tends to complicate the process of nation building. We fell into
differences of languages and then saw the formation of Bangladesh.

The four administrative units of the present Pakistan were formed by the British
on administrative basis; but the impression is that Punjab belongs to Punjabis,
Sindh to Sindhis , Baluchistan to Balochi and now the KP to Pukhtun. The
peoples speaking other languages in these provinces are being dubbed as the
minorities in their own land. Their sense of inferiority can be removed by
creating the provinces on administrative basis.

The movement of a separate Hazara province was started by a young advocate

Mufti Idrees in 1957, however, it could not get impetus due to the introduction of
the one-unit formula by Ayub. Later, people of Hazara raised a voice for Hazara
Province through “Hazara Qaumi Mahaz” (HQM) founded by late Malik Asif
Advocate in 1987. The movement got set-back by the untimely death of Asif
Malik. However, the renaming of the former NWFP to Khyber Pukhtunkhwa in
2010 brought all the leaders of Hazara under the platfarm of Tehreek-e-Hazara
movement led by Baba Haider Zaman.

The announcement of the new name also led to calls from Hazara for a new
separate province. Ten persons died, and nearly two hundred were hurt during
the rallies and protests all over Hazara region in April, 2010. A complete wheel-
jam and shutter-down strike was again observed in the Hazara on 2 May 2010, in
support of this demand. Large public meetings and public protests have been
regularly organized by the HQM (Hazara Quami Mahaz Pakistan) and Tehreek-e-
Hazara movement since 2010. However, differences of personal opinion split the
movement.

Again, in 2013 elections, the Tehreek-e-Hazara was registered as a political party

by Baba Haider Zaman. But its former stalwarts contested the elections either as
independents or from the platfarm of other political parties though they
promised their voters to struggle for a separate Hazara province during their
election compaign. They used Hazara Province slogans on their posters and
banners all over Hazara. Their unity at the time of the passage of the resolution of
Hazara as a separate province from the KP assembly on March 21, 2014 is a
testimony to their promises with the people of Hazara.

Interestingly, on the issue of this resolution, the house members from Hazara
irrespective of their party alliances voted in favour of the resolution. All the major
parties including Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan People’s
Party (PPP), Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) have expressed support for this idea.
So the impression that the proponents of Hazara province were defeated in 2013
election and the Hazara movement got weakened, is false.

The grace of being a Pakistani is the only perception which is stronger than any
other perception; there is no need of declaration that one is Punjabi, Sindhi,
Baluchi or Pukhtun. The current situations like the Sindhi-Mohajir in Sindh,
Baluchi-Pukhtun-Brauhi in Baluchistan, Punjabi-Saraiki in Punjab and Pukhtun-
Hazarewal in the KP are due to this division. Had there been the renewal of the
provincial division on pure administrative basis, we would have no such
problems. The Ayub’s one unit formula serves as evidence to the fact that we had
no such problems.

The experts’ analysis of the economic situation of Hazara describes it as an

economically viable region. It is the most populous division of the KP
contributing provincial exchequer maximum economic and cultural income.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s share of Pakistan’s total GDP has been 10.5%, although
the province accounts for 11.9% of Pakistan’s total population. The part of the
economy that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa dominates is forestry, the major part of
which comes from Hazara.

Hazara has one of the major industrial areas of KP, including Telephone Industry
of Pakistan (TIP) and the Hattar Industrial Zone. It produces 70 percent tea of
total production of Pakistan, and produces the best grade tobacco in the country.
A rare and expensive fish named Trout is also available in Hazara in river Kunhar
and all the lakes.

It is rich in minerals and natural resources. The three main dams of Pakistan,
Tarbella, Khanpur and Ghazi Barotha are in Hazara. Tarbela Dam produces 39
percent of the total electricity in the country. The fourth one, the Bhasha Dam is
under construction in the Kohistan. Several small dams can be constructed in the
region. Beside this, the river Kunhar is also a contributory river to the Mangla
dam.

The royalties from these water reservoirs make Hazara the foremost candidate
for the new provinces in Pakistan. The forests and tourism can be developed in
the region. The lakes of Lulusar, Dudipatsar and Saiful Muluk are the most
beautiful tourists points in the region.

The minerals like soap stone, coal, barite, dolomite, granite, gypsum, limestone,
magnetite, marble, phosphate, red ochre and red oxide have rich reservoirs in the
region. The industries created of them can be established. Hattar Industrial
Estate lies on a strategic location along the route of the China-Pakistan Economic
Corridor in Haripur and it can go a long way in promoting exports from the
region to Afghanistan, China and Central Asian countries.

Abbottabad city is not only the center of the cultural, educational and political
activitivies of the peoples from all over Pakistan and the KP, but also the people
from the other part of Hazara like Kohistan, Battagram and Kala Dakka reside
and work in large number in Abbottabad, Mansehra and Haripur. They prefer to
stay in these regions. A large number of students from these districts study in
schools, medical colleges and universities in Abbottabad.

According to a latest survey, Abbottabad has the highest Human Development

Index (HDI) after Islamabad in Pakistan and the highest in the KP. The Human
Development Index (HDI) is a composite statistic used to rank areas by level of
“human development”. These values are provided by the Social Development in
Pakistan Annual Review 2014-15. Other cities of the KP following Abbottabad are
Haripur, Mansehra and Peshawar.

The Pakistan Military Academy at Kakul, Abbottabad, is where all military

officers of Pakistan are trained. The University of Hazara, based in Mansehra,
provides higher education to people of the region. Similarly, the students of the
far districts of Hazara prefer to stay in Abbottabad due to its pleasant weather
and peaceful atmosphere. These indices make the southern districts of Hazara
favourite for their fellows living in the northern district.

The recently announced amalgamation of FATA with KP will only be welcomed

by the people of Hazara if Hazara itself is declared a separate province; otherwise
the deprivation amongst them will increase because this amalgamation on one
hand is made on the basis of geographical attachment of FATA with the KP and
on other hand an unnatural and unproductive attachment of Hazara with the KP
is maintained. Moreover, with the FATA merger the demography of the region
will be changed on the basis of ethnicity and language.

It is a well-established fact that the smaller the provinces, the stronger the
federation will be. The smaller units would not be in a position to demand
separation from Pakistan. Moreover, the larger provinces can be a threat to the
weakening of the state. By creating new provinces on administrative basis,
Pakistan would substantially progress economically and politically.

Z
Artcle in in The Express Tribune

ABBOTABAD:
The workers of Tehreek-e-Suba Hazara (TSH) pledged to continue their
struggle until the creation of Hazara province. A meeting of TSH party
workers was held at their city office presided over by TSH Deputy Secretary
General Sultanul Arifeen Jadoon Wednesday evening.

Speaking on the occasion, Jadoon said the demand continued to exist

despite the hypocritical attitude of leadership elected from Hazara
towards the creation of a new province. He said the desire to carve out a
new province from K-P remains popular across the division.

If the elected leadership had been more serious about the situation, the
people of Hazara Division would have been enjoying development and
prosperity due to the presence of abundant resources in the area,
Jadoon said. Jadoon was optimistic about the demand of his party. “The
time when people of Hazara get the gift of their own province is not
far.”

The programme of April 12, the anniversary of the movement for a

Hazara province, was discussed in detail at the meeting. Participants
agreed to organise a motorbike rally on April 8, and set up camps
asking citizens to join the movement on April 10 and 11.
The main event will take place on April 12 where tributes will be paid to
seven people who were killed during a protest against renaming the
erstwhile NWFP on the same day in 2011.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 8 th, 2016.

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE > PAKISTAN > SINDH

Separate provinces: Tehreek-e-

Suba Hazara holds first rally with
support of MQM
KARACHI:

Hundreds of people belonging to Hazara, Abbottabad and Kohistan attended the

Tehreek-e-Suba Hazara’s (TSH) rally at a ground near Mazar-e- Quaid on Sunday.
The chairperson and founder of the TSH, Baba Haider Zaman, said that
if their demands were not met and they were not given their rights, the
party would retaliate in the same way as the Baloch. “If the rulers want
to save Pakistan and are loyal to the people, then they should allow the
demands for new provinces.” While criticising Prime Minister Yousaf
Raza Gilani, Zaman said that he should leave his post. “Gilani says that
a Seraiki province would be made. Does he only represent that
particular area?” questioned Zaman.

He also pointed a finger at the judiciary for taking suo motu notices of
other cases while what he said was neglecting the people of Hazara who
were killed during the movement for a separate province. “The TSH is a
registered political party created for the protection of rights of the 3.5
million people of Hazara.”

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) was praised for supporting

the cause of the Hazara people. “The MQM took a stand when our own
people didn’t. In return, the party has our support,” said Zaman.

The THS general secretary, Fida Hussain, said that Pakistan was
created to ensure the rights of all people. “This country was not created
for corruption and suppressing people. We have made a deal with the
MQM to rid Pakistan of corrupt rulers and make it a free state in the
true sense.”

Hussain claimed that the TSH would emerge as one of the biggest party
in the region in the upcoming general elections. Major Mohammad
Kayani, one of the party leaders, lashed out at the Pakistan Tehreek-e-
Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan and former president Pervez Musharraf.
Calling the PTI chief ‘Inqilab Khan’, Kayani alleged that Imran Khan
gathered people for his rally at the same location by giving them money.
“Imran Khan collected funds from people in the name of his hospital
but when people needed his help, he did not pay any heed to them. He
should stop deluding the Pakistani youth.”

Earlier, Zaman visited the MQM’s headquarters on Saturday. Following

a telephonic talk between him and the MQM chief, Altaf Hussain, the
party announced its full support to the THS rally. Participants at the
rally were holding the TSH green and red flag while dancing to Hindko
songs. MQM activists and supporters also attended the rally and were
holding MQM flags while shouting slogans of Jeay Muttahida.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 5 th, 2012.

Baba fails to muster support
The Newspaper's CorrespondentMay 14, 2013
ABBOTTABAD, May 13: Tehrik-i-Sooba Hazara (TSH) candidate Baba Haider
Zaman, who got nationwide popularity after he launched a movement for
separate province in 2010, failed to muster support of voters during the May 11
general elections.
He lost the NA-18, Abbottabad-II, seat to PML-N candidate Murtaza Javed Abbasi,
who retained the seat, bagging 69,532 votes. Baba Haider Zaman received 36,286
votes and remained third. PTI candidate Sardar Mohammad Yaqoub was the runner-
up with 41,061 votes.

The voters’ response to Tehrik-i-Sooba Hazara, which is a registered political party,

was also very disappointing on NA-17, Abbottabad-I, where the TSH candidate Fida
Hussain could muster only 2,017 votes.

TSH contestants for the provincial assembly in Abbottabad and other districts of
Hazara Division also tasted crushing defeats during the elections.

The Sooba Hazara slogan was also used by the candidates of major political parties,
including PTI and PML-N, to garner support of the voters.

Observers are of view that the defeat of the leaders of the TSH in the elections was
because they didn’t earn the trust of the people regarding their ability to effectively
handle the constitutionally complicated matter of carving out a province.

According to them voters were more inclined towards the national parties seeing them
as being capable of properly pursuing the issue of the separate province of Hazara.

On the other hand, supporters of Baba Haider Zaman argue that he had the potential to
take the separate province issue to the logical conclusion as he had vowed on
numerous occasions that he will fight for the cause of the people of Hazara come what
may.

They think that had Baba Haider Zaman been elected from the NA-18, it would have
given new life to the Hazara Sooba movement in the National Assembly

Hazara movement: divided we fall

Kalbe AliDecember 02, 2012
A superficial look over the current situation might give the impression that the
sun is setting on the idea of ‘Hazara Province’, as many consider it a reactionary
movement against the renaming of NWFP as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The rift between the flag bearers of the Hazara movement seems to support this point
of view.

Ordinary people and politicians are optimistic that the issue would resurface, soon
after the elections.

“The fire is burning but you do not see the flames,” said Baba Haider Zaman, the
fatherly figure in the struggle for the establishment of Hazara Province, “This election
will prove to be the turning point of history of this nation.”

He said, “Any party or candidate – not raising the issue of Hazara province in their
election campaigns would be greeted with shoes by the masses,” adding, “The
elections would be a first step towards the formation of our province.”

Though yet not announced but Baba Haider Zaman conceded that he would contest
elections from both NA-17, Abbottabad city, and NA-18, Abbottabad and Havelian,
from his own party, named Tehrik Suba Hazara (TSH).

Both the seats are held by the PML-N, but the entry of Baba in the contest, especially
in NA-18 would create some problems for the PML-N’s supremacy and many suspect
that he might disturb the voting pattern and help other party candidates to sneak
through.
“The PML-N did not take the issue of Hazara province seriously, when the NWFP
was being renamed,” he said adding, “We on the other hand are not bound by the
agenda coming from Lahore or Dera Ismail Khan.”

However, on the other hand, the registration of TSH has damaged the cause.

“The massive protests and the energetic participation of the masses for the
establishment of Hazara Province, witnessed in 2010, was only because all the groups
and parties were united for the cause,” said Qazi Azhar advocate, the chairman of
Hazara Quami Mahaz (HQM), who is among the pioneers to raise the voice for a
separate identity, “Soon after Baba jee got the Tehrik registered, the kingpins of major
political groups left the forum – because nobody wanted to change their affiliations.”
Qazi Azhar, expressed disappointment over the rift in the movement.

Despite commanding respect and honour in political and social circles, the candidates
of HQM have been at the tail end in the list of those gaining votes; nevertheless in an
election scenario both parties would divide each others votes.

“We are not into politics with the hope to win elections – but to raise awareness
among the masses for our cause,” Qazi Azhar said.

The first major activity related to a Hazara nation, surfaced in early 1980s when Qazi
Azhar along with a group of friends founded the Hazara Students Federation in
Karachi, but their activities were overshadowed by other powerful groups.

Similarly, back home, Qazi Azhar and all his friends could not muster support among
his people on ethnic lines, after establishing the HQM, in 1987, and residents of
Hazara wholeheartedly voted in favour of Pakistan Muslim League.

The situation on the surface shows that all the flag bearers of the cause have decided
to choose their own path; however, seasoned politicians differ over this notion.

“This is a hard fact and it happens all the time – now when every party seems to be
quite because everybody is preparing for the elections,” said a senior PML-N member
from Haripur, adding, “But soon after the elections, all losing candidates would take
up the cause and hit the streets for publicity.”

The views are supported by the seasoned politician and several MNAs, Sardar
Mohammad Yousuf, who is the chairman Suba Hazara Tehrik (SHT), a breakaway
faction from the TSH, led by Baba Haider Zaman.
“We are moving steadily and quietly towards the goal and SHT is lobbying with all
the parties to exert their strength after the elections,” Sardar Mohammad Yousuf said,
whose son is currently PML- MNA, from Mansehra.

He said only because of awareness the issue has been highlighted, MQM has extended
its support to Hazara province.

“This way they have annoyed the ANP, but it is also to woo the massive Hazara
population in Karachi,” he added.

Though, the PML-N has been reluctant to express its open support to the SHT but all
the political parties in Hazara, including the Jamaat-i- Islami, JUI-F, PTI etc are on
board.

“Whoever wins the provincial and national assembly seats from Hazara will raise the
issue in the assemblies,” said the PML-N leader, adding, “and the out of assembly
activities would pressurise the PML-N to at least speak in favour of the Hazara
province.”

Compared to the energetic approach of Baba Haider Zaman, the sober and hawkish
looking Sardar Yousuf discredits the use of force, strikes and road blocks to highlight
the cause and said that he was also in touch with other lobbies and power brokers.

Due to the strategic location of Hazara Division, including the key highway to China
and scores of military installations, it is generally considered by the masses that
security agencies do not like to see riots and disturbances in Hazara.

“I cannot comment over this,” Sardar Yousuf said, “But we have strength here as the
military and security forces would feel more at ease dealing with the local authorities
in Abbottabad, if Hazara is made a province.”

However, the legal course related to the creation of a new province is not only
complex but would also require the support of the majority party in the relevant
provincial assembly.

Hazara Province (The Voice of Hazara) or movement of started more than 25 years, and a movement
satred in 1987 by the late Malik Asif Advocate, as “Hazara Qaumi Mahaz (HQM)” Later a large number of
people from Hazara joined for raising a demand for a separate province for people of Hazara.
This movement gain momentum on April 2010, when it was announced that through an amendment in the
Constitution, the rename of NWFP to ‘Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’ and wide protest started in entire hazara region
including Abbottabad, Haripur, Mansehra, Battagram, and Kohistan.
The Leader of Hazara Province movement Baba Haider Zaman then announced a wheel jam strike in entire Hazara
division. Then local administration called a large numbers of Police force from different cities including Peshawar,
Bannu, Mardan etc. Then Police started firing directly to the people and seven innocent people were died and more
than hundred were hurt or injured during the rallies and protest all over Hazara region.and large number of protest
started in entire Hazara region for an independent province for people of Hazara. Later on Baba Haider Zaman
registered a Tehreek e sooba Hazara as a political party to protect the demands of seperate province for people of
Hazara and resolve the issues of people of Hazara.