ISLAMABAD: Leaders of the Hazara Province Movement on Thursday voiced strong opposition to the proposed renaming of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and renewed their demand for a separate Hazara province for their region’s people.

Speaking at a press conference at the National Press Club, the movement’s leaders, including MNA Sardar Muhammad Yusuf, former senator Talha Mehmood, former deputy speaker of the National Assembly Murtaza Javed Abbasi, Prof Sajjad Qamar, Sardar Shahjehan Yusuf, and Dr Shaista Jadoon, emphasised that their call for a new province was rooted in administrative concerns, not ethnic or linguistic factors.

“Our demand is purely based on the need for better governance,” said Sardar Yusuf. He claimed the KP Assembly had twice passed resolutions in support of a separate Hazara province.

Mr Yusuf also claimed that the movement represents a consensus across the region. “I have spoken to leaders of various political parties and they have assured me they will oppose any amendment that seeks to rename Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as Pakhtunkhwa,” he said.

Former senator Talha Mehmood said: “Any move to change the province’s name at this juncture risks damaging the region’s stability.”

Murtaza Javed Abbasi raised concerns over the current state of governance in KP, accusing the chief minister of ruining the province’s values and traditions. He insisted that all provincial representatives should be consulted before any decision regarding the name change is made.

Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2024