Movement for Creation of Hazara Province: Genesis, Causes and Challenges

Abstract

This study aims to survey the genesis, evolution and causes of the movement
demanding creation of Hazara Province comprising 8 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
(KP). The origin of the demand for a separate province based on distinct identity of the
people of Hazara can be traced back to the time of independence of Pakistan. However,
the demand could not become popular till the renaming of the province in 2010. The
paper explores the political, economic, social and cultural factors behind the demand.
The study is mainly based on qualitative research which employed thematic analysis
method to scrutinize the data collected through primary and secondary sources.
Besides available official reports, data was also collected through semi structured
interviews of the target groups such as political leaders, intellectuals and activists
affiliated with movement for Hazara province, selected through purpose sampling. The
study affirms the assumption that the demand for Hazara province movement is based
on the separate identity consciousness of the people as well as their sense of political
alienation, economic deprivation, social exclusion and cultural estrangement. The
renaming of the province in 2010 served as an intervening factor in popularizing the
demand for Hazara province.