Hazara Province Movement (Urdu/Hindko: تحریک صوبہ ہزارہ) is a movement aimed at gaining a separate provincial status for the Hazara Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.[1]
Background
editThe movement began in 1957, when regional lawyers Mufti Idrees and Abdul Khaliq first raised the question of a separate province, Kohistan.[2] In 1987, Hazara Qaumi Mahaz (HQM) was founded by Muhammad Asif Malik advocate, a prominent advocate who campaigned for the creation of a separate province.[3] Hazara Division is linguistically and ethnically diverse which distinguish it from the rest of the Pashtun-majority province. According to the 2023 Census of Pakistan, the three largest ethnolinguistic groups in Hazara are Hindkowans (56%), Pashtuns (20.7%) and Kohistanis (14.6%).[4] The movement has a strong support among the residents of Hazara region, also known as Hazarewals.[5]
2010 protests
editThe Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan was passed on 8 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 10 April, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police fired at unarmed protesters, leaving 7 dead and dozens injured.[6] Allegedly, the firing was ordered by the coalition government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, led by the Awami National Party.[7] This is one of the most violent incidents of police brutality in Pakistan, occurring before the Model Town Lahore incident, whose FIR has not been registered still today.[8]
Later developments
editIn 2014, the resolution for the creation of the Hazara Province was adopted by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.[9] The movement slowed down and shrunk to only observing the 12th of April martyrs anniversary, the death of the movement's pioneer, Baba Haider Zaman, in 2018.[10]
In 2020, the movement started again when the government began work for the creation of the South Punjab province.[11] Hazara's leaders sought to include the creation of the Hazara Province along with it.[12] A bill for the creation of the Hazara province has also been tabled in the Parliament of Pakistan.[13] Another resolution was passed by the KP assembly in 2022, calling for the implementation of the 2014 resolution.[14]
The Hazara Province Movement saw revival in 2024 after the Awami National Party leader Aimal Wali Khan suggested the province to be renamed as Pakhtunkhwa, drawing criticism from the Hazara Division-based political parties who vowed for a separate provincial status.[15][16][17]
Notable leaders
editSee also
editReferences
edit- ^ Shaheen, Sikander (8 July 2010). "'Welcome to Hazara province'". The Nation. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ Orakzai, Rifatullah (16 April 2010). "آخر ہم ہیں کون؟". BBC Urdu. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ Munir, Mohammad (2017). "Realities of a Separate Hazara Province". VOJ News. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ "Pakistan Census 2023" (PDF). www.pbscensus.gov.pk. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
- ^ Abbasi, Azhar Mahmood; Kalhoro, Javed Ali (2022). "Politics of Ethnic Identities and Conflicts: A Case Study of Hazara and Siraiki Ethno-Nationalist Movements in Pakistan". Pakistan Social Sciences Review. 6 (2): 15–24.
- ^ "Seven killed in Abbottabad violence". Dawn. 13 April 2010. Retrieved 11 April 2010.
- ^ Shaheen, Sikander (14 April 2010). "Complete strike observed in Hazara Division". The Nation. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ "Abbottabad firing incident: Tehreek Suba Hazara to request Khattak to order registration of FIR". The Express Tribune. 17 September 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
- ^ "KP Assembly adopts resolution to create Hazara province". Dawn. 21 March 2014. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ Yousafzai, Shahabullah (24 October 2018). "Man behind Hazara province movement, Baba Haider Zaman passes away at 84". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ "Hazara province". Dawn. March 17, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
- ^ Rehman, Ziaur (3 February 2020). "Why Hazara province movement has resumed from Karachi". The News International. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ Asad, Malik (21 August 2019). "Bill seeking to create new provinces referred to NA speaker". Dawn. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ Azeem, Muhammad (January 4, 2022). "K-P Assembly adopts Hazara province resolution". The Express Tribune. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
- ^ "ANP leader opposes demand for Hazara province". The News. October 21, 2024. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
- ^ Mian, Bakhtawar (October 18, 2024). "Hazara Movement leaders oppose KP name change". Dawn. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
- ^ "Hazara province: APC soon to muster support of political parties: PMLN leader". The News International. October 24, 2024. Retrieved November 25, 2024.