HARIPUR/MANSEHRA: The government’s announcement to make Abaseen division was a conspiracy to sabotage the movement for a separate Hazara province, Abdul Saboor Qureshi, a senior leader of Tehreek-i-Suba Hazara, said on Saturday.

Commenting on the recent announcement of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan during a public meeting in Battagram regarding creation of Abaseen division comprising some areas in Hazara and Malakand divisions predominantly inhabited by the Pashto-speaking people, Mr Qureshi said the CM’s statement had hurt the sentiments of people of Hazara, who had been demanding a separate province on administrative grounds.

Talking to mediapersons in Haripur on Saturday, he said despite terming the demand o Hazara people for a separate province genuine on several occasions, the PTI leadership had taken an about turn after coming into power.

He said precious lives had been sacrificed during the long-running struggle, but the CM’s statement clearly showed the PTI government was going to divide the people of Hazara on linguistic grounds.

CM’s announcement termed bid to sabotage Hazara province movement

Mr Qureshi said the Tehreek-i-Suba Hazara that was founded by late Baba Haider Zaman, who had always advocated for the creation of new provinces on administrative grounds.

To a question, Mr Qureshi said all the tribes of Hazara division from Haripur to Kohistan and Battagram to Torghar were united behind the cause of Hazara province.

He said instead of giving equal development funds and improving the living standard of people of the districts in the upper Hazara region, the government wanted to bifurcate Hazara division on linguistic grounds.

Meanwhile, a jirga held in Dasu area of Upper Kohistan the other day demanded that the government create Kohistan division comprising Lower and Upper Kohistan and Kolai-Palas districts. It, however, opposed naming the division as Abaseen.

“We won’t allow the government to name the proposed division as Abaseen,” warned Maulana Dildar, a former MPA, while speaking at the jirga.

The jirga was organised by the Muttahida Kohistan Movement.

“We want a new division for the people of three districts, and if the government doesn’t agree with us we will prefer to remain within the Hazara division,” Maulana Dildar said.

The jirga was also attended by office-bearers of various political parties.

“We don’t want to be part of the Abaseen division and appeal to the government to respect our sentiments,” Maulana Kareemdad, another elder, said.

He said they would never accept inclusion of three Kohistan districts in any division also comprising Battagram district of the neighbouring Malakand division.

“We are aware of the PTI government’s intentions as the local government elections are round the corner and it wants to divide people to secure a win, but it won’t be allowed to happen,” Mr Kareemdad warned.

Published in Dawn, December 5th, 2021