Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Province Hazara Movement--An analysis

After renaming of N.W.F.P. as Khyber Pakhtunkhwah, the movement of a separate province for the people of Hazara has gained a huge momentum and a strong support of masses at all levels. The movement of Province Hazara has been initiated under the leadership of Ex-District Nazim Baba Haider Zaman and other prominent leaders who are very active in this movement include Gohar Ayub Khan, Ex-Deputy speaker Sardar Muhammad Yaqoob, Ex-petroleum minister Aman-Ullah Khan Jadoon and Azhar Jadoon.
In the last month, Boards of Suba Hazara (Province Hazara) were formally hoarded at the two main entry points of Hazara Division from Punjab and Kashmir, i.e. at Barian near Murree and at Kohala which separates Hazara from Azad Jammu & Kashmir. Ironically, even those parties whose top leadership supported renaming of NW.F.P. as Khyber Pakhtunkhwah are also supporting Province Hazara Movement at local level. Sardar Muhammad Idress who changed his loyalty after last elections and jumped into PPP from JUI-F is one such example. He is strongly supporting Province Hazara movement. This movement has currently support of almost all major parties in the division including PML-Q, Jamat-e-Islami, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Hazara Qaumi Mahaz and various other small political and religious parties. However, PML-N is playing on backfoot as the whole mud is being thrown on PML-N by Hazara Province movement leaders saying that PML-N has betrayed people of Hazara and got blackmailed by ANP on the condition of third time premiership.
Ex president, Genral Retired Pervez Musharraf has also announced his full support for Province Hazara (and some other provinces as well) and Ham Khayal Group of PML-Q is also in strong support of Province Hazara. Under such conditions, it seems that now the dream of Suba Hazara will turn into a reality very soon and people of Hazara will get a distinct identity based on their culture.