16/06/2026
Hazara: A Region Caught Between Identity, Disaster, and Development
Nestled in the northern reaches of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Hazara Division, comprising districts such as Abbottabad, Mansehra, Haripur, Battagram, Torghar, and Kohistan, has long occupied a distinctive place in Pakistan's political and geographic landscape. Known for its scenic valleys, gateway towns to the north, and a population that is ethnically and linguistically distinct from the Pashtun majority province it belongs to, Hazara today finds itself at the centre of several pressing debates: the long running demand for a separate province, the aftermath of devastating floods, and the broader question of development and connectivity in one of Pakistan's most strategically located regions.
The Separate Province Demand
Perhaps the most enduring political issue associated with Hazara is the demand for a province of its own. The roots of this movement stretch back decades, but it gained significant momentum after the 2010 renaming of the North West Frontier Province to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under the 18th Constitutional Amendment. Many residents of Hazara felt that the new name privileged Pashtun identity while overlooking the region's Hindko speaking majority and its distinct cultural character. Protests in Abbottabad turned violent, with reports of multiple deaths during clashes between demonstrators and police, an episode that remains a painful reference point in local political memory.
Since then, the Hazara Province Movement has periodically resurfaced, often gaining traction whenever discussions about new provinces elsewhere in Pakistan, such as proposals for a Saraiki or Bahawalpur province, re enter the national conversation. Advocates argue that a separate province would allow for more equitable resource distribution, closer governance, and faster development for a region they describe as historically underserved despite its proximity to the federal capital and its contribution to tourism revenue. They frame the demand as administrative rather than ethnic, pointing to resolutions reportedly passed by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly in support of the idea.
On the other side, opponents, including segments of Pashtun nationalist politics, argue that further fragmenting provinces along ethnic or linguistic lines could set a precarious precedent for a country already managing multiple regional sensitivities, and that new provinces should, if anything, be created on purely administrative grounds rather than identity based ones. The debate resurfaced again more recently when proposals to rename Khyber Pakhtunkhwa altogether drew renewed objections from Hazara Movement leaders, who used the moment to reassert their long standing demand. The issue remains unresolved, and any constitutional change would require broad political consensus that has so far proven elusive.
Why It Matters to Hazarewals
For many Hazarewals, the demand for a province is less about redrawing maps and more about recognition and representation. MNA Sardar Muhammad Yusuf, one of the movement's prominent voices, has repeatedly framed the campaign as rooted in governance rather than ethnicity, telling reporters that the call for a new province stems purely from the community's need for better administration and a fairer share of resources. Other leaders have pointed to a deeper sense of historical grievance: longtime Hazara politician Javed Iqbal has argued that the region's multi ethnic and multilingual character, where Hindko, Pashto, Kohistani, and other languages are all spoken, is itself a reason Hazara should not be subsumed under a single linguistic or ethnic banner.
Veteran leader Sardar Hyder Zaman Baba has described the underlying grievances as too deep rooted to be resolved through statements alone, reflecting a view widely shared among Hazarewals that decades of limited representation in provincial bureaucracy, education, and employment have left the region feeling sidelined despite its proximity to Islamabad and its contribution to tourism and trade. Community leaders also frequently invoke Hazara's role in the movement for Pakistan's independence, arguing that a population they describe as having been instrumental in the country's founding deserves a political identity that reflects its history rather than one defined primarily around Pashtun nationalism. Taken together, these statements illustrate why, for many in the region, the province issue is tied closely to questions of dignity, opportunity, and a sense of belonging within the federation.
The Shadow of the 2025 Floods
Compounding the political debate is the very real, ongoing challenge of disaster recovery. The 2025 monsoon season brought some of the most severe flooding Pakistan has experienced in years, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa among the hardest hit provinces. Mountainous districts in and around Hazara, particularly Kohistan and Battagram, saw flash floods and landslides that destroyed roads, bridges, homes, and agricultural land. Nationally, the floods damaged or destroyed hundreds of bridges and thousands of kilometres of roads, displaced millions of people, and left a recovery bill that will stretch into 2026 and beyond.
For Hazara, much of which sits along the Karakoram Highway corridor connecting the rest of Pakistan to Gilgit Baltistan and China, damaged infrastructure has more than local consequences. Blocked roads cut off communities from healthcare, education, and markets, while also disrupting the broader north to south trade and tourism route. Reconstruction efforts have focused on slope stabilisation, improved drainage, and more flood resilient construction, but experts warn that with monsoon rains expected to intensify due to climate change, this is unlikely to be a one time fix. Local communities are left navigating both the immediate damage and the longer term question of how to build infrastructure resilient enough for a changing climate.
Development, Tourism, and Governance
Beyond the headline political and disaster related issues, residents of Hazara continue to raise more everyday concerns: the pace of development relative to other parts of the province, the state of healthcare and education facilities in remote districts like Kohistan and Torghar, and the management of tourism in popular destinations such as Nathia Gali, Thandiani, and the lakes of the Kaghan Valley. Tourism remains a major economic driver for the region, but unplanned construction, waste management problems, and seasonal overcrowding have become recurring concerns for both locals and visitors.
Governance questions also intersect with the provincial political situation more broadly. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa itself experienced a period of political uncertainty in late 2025 surrounding a leadership transition at the chief minister's office, adding another layer of administrative flux that affects how quickly issues in divisions like Hazara are addressed at the provincial level.
A related and frequently raised concern is access to jobs and career opportunities. Because Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's provincial government is headquartered in Peshawar, the bulk of senior civil service postings, provincial boards, public sector corporations, and major teaching hospitals are based there or in nearby Hayatabad, with most advertised vacancies for departments such as the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Public Service Commission, the Bank of Khyber, and large provincial hospitals concentrated in the capital. For many young Hazarewals, this means that climbing the ranks of provincial administration, healthcare, or public sector management often requires relocating hundreds of kilometres away, even though the bulk of the population and several major institutions, including Hazara University in Mansehra, are based within the division itself. Community members and local commentators have long argued that this concentration of opportunity in Peshawar reinforces the broader sense that Hazara's economic and administrative weight does not match its share of jobs, postings, and investment, feeding directly into the wider argument that a separate provincial capital and administrative structure would bring decision making, recruitment, and development spending closer to home.
Looking Ahead
Hazara's current challenges illustrate how identity politics, climate vulnerability, and development needs can become deeply intertwined. The demand for a separate province continues to resonate with many residents who feel their region's needs are not adequately represented within Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's existing political structure, while the 2025 floods have underscored just how exposed the region's infrastructure is to extreme weather. Whatever direction the provincial debate takes, the immediate priorities for many in Hazara remain practical ones: rebuilding damaged roads and bridges, strengthening disaster preparedness, and ensuring that development reaches the more remote corners of a region whose mountains, while scenic, can also be unforgiving.
Writer , Ahmad ali
