Hazara Division
Administrative division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hazara Division, located along the Indus River in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, serves as an administrative region of the province, encompassing nine districts: Abbottabad, Allai District[4], Battagram, Haripur, Kolai-Palas, Lower Kohistan, Mansehra, Torghar, and Upper Kohistan.[5]
Hazara Division
ہزارہ ڈویژن هزاره څانګه | |
|---|---|
Hazara Division (red) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Province | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa |
| Headquarters | Abbottabad |
| Districts | 9 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Divisional Administration |
| • Commissioner | Aamir Sultan Tareen (BPS-20 PAS) |
| • Regional police officer | Tahir Ayub Khan (BPS-20 PSP) |
| Area | |
| 17,064 km2 (6,588 sq mi) | |
| Population (2023) | |
| 6,188,736 | |
| • Density | 362.68/km2 (939.33/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 634,914 (10.26%) |
| • Rural | 5,553,822 (89.74%) |
| Native Speakers | |
| • Speakers | |
| Literacy | |
| • Literacy rate |
|
| Time zone | UTC+5 (PST) |
| Area code | CNIC: 13 |
| Website | chd |
Location
Hazara Division is located in the east of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province - to the west it is bordered by Malakand and Mardan divisions of the province - to the south it is bordered by the Rawalpindi Division of Punjab and Islamabad Capital Territory, to the east by Azad Kashmir and to the north by Gilgit-Baltistan.[6]
History
During the colonial era Hazara Division (then Hazara District) had been part of Peshawar Division[7] and was made up of three tehsils namely Haripur, Mansehra and Abbottabad [8] - following the dissolution of West Pakistan in 1970, Hazara District and the two tribal agencies were merged to create the new Hazara Division, with Abbottabad designated as its capital. Initially, the division comprised two districts: Abbottabad and Mansehra. Over the next few years, administrative changes led to the creation of two additional districts—Haripur was carved out of Abbottabad District, and Batagram was separated from Mansehra District.
Hazara functioned as a district until 1976, when it was formally upgraded to a division. In October of that year, Mansehra was granted full district status, encompassing the tehsils of Mansehra and Batagram. Later, in July 1991, Haripur Tehsil was separated from Abbottabad and established as an independent district. This left only the original Abbottabad Tehsil, which was then officially became Abbottabad District.
In 2000, Pakistan abolished its administrative divisions, elevating districts to serve as the new third tier of government. At the time of abolition, Hazara Division consisted of eight districts.[9]
However, in 2008, administrative divisions were reinstated, and Hazara Division was formally re-established.
| Year | Event | Tehsil Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Hazara District and two tribal agencies merged to form Hazara Division (capital: Abbottabad) | Hazara District included Abbottabad, Mansehra, and Haripur tehsils |
| 1970s | Haripur District created from Abbottabad; Batagram District created from Mansehra | Haripur Tehsil became Haripur District; Batagram Tehsil separated from Mansehra |
| 1976 | Hazara formally upgraded to division status; Mansehra becomes a full district | Mansehra District comprised Mansehra and Batagram tehsils |
| 1991 | Haripur Tehsil separated from Abbottabad and made into a district | Abbottabad Tehsil was then split into Havelian and Abbottabad tehsils forming the tehsils of Abbottabad District |
| 2000 | Administrative divisions abolished; Hazara Division dissolved | Districts functioned independently; tehsil structure remained intact |
| 2008 | Administrative divisions reinstated; Hazara Division restored | Hazara Division included Abbottabad, Mansehra, Haripur, Batagram, and later Kohistan and Torghar districts |
Demographics
Population
According to the 2023 census, Hazara Division had a population of 6,188,736[10] roughly equal to the nation of Bulgaria[11] or the US state of Missouri.[12]
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | ... | — |
| 1961 | ... | — |
| 1972 | ... | — |
| 1981 | 2,701,257 | — |
| 1998 | 3,505,581 | +1.54% |
| 2017 | 5,325,121 | +2.22% |
| 2023 | 6,188,736 | +2.54% |
| Sources:[13] | ||
The increase in population from 1981 to 2023 was 129.1% equivalent to an average increase of approximately 1.96% per annum.
List of the Districts
Hazara Division contains the following districts:[14]
- Abbottabad District
- Allai District (part of Mansehra District until 1993 and part of Battagram District from 1993 to 2023)
- Batagram District (part of Mansehra District until 1993)
- Haripur District
- Kolai-Palas District
- Upper Kohistan District (part of Mansehra District until 1993 and Kohistan District until 2014)
- Lower Kohistan District (part of Mansehra District until 1993 and Kohistan District until 2014)
- Mansehra District
- Torghar District (part of Mansehra District until 2011)
| # | District | Headquarter | Area
(km2)[15] |
Pop.
(2023) |
Density
(ppl/km2) (2023) |
Lit. rate
(2023) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abbottabad | Abbottabad | 1,967 | 1,419,072 | 721.6 | 77.34% |
| 2 | Allai | Allai Valley | 521 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 3 | Battagram | Battagram | 1,301 | 554,133 | 425.9 | 39.09% |
| 4 | Haripur | Haripur | 1,725 | 1,174,783 | 681.3 | 74.88% |
| 5 | Kolai Palas | Kolai | 1,410 | 280,162 | 198.7 | 18.80% |
| 6 | Lower Kohistan | Pattan | 642 | 340,017 | 529.5 | 22.05% |
| 7 | Mansehra | Mansehra | 4,125 | 1,797,177 | 435.6 | 63.79% |
| 8 | Torghar | Judba | 454 | 200,445 | 441.6 | 29.74% |
| 9 | Upper Kohistan | Dasu | 5,440 | 422,947 | 77.8 | 19.05% |
List of the Tehsils
The following are a list of tehsils in Hazara Division along with their respective districts.
| # | Tehsil | Area
(km2)[16] |
Pop.
(2023) |
Density
(ppl/km2) (2023) |
Lit. rate
(2023) |
Districts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abbottabad Tehsil | 1,285 | 1,003,339 | 101.76 | Abbottabad District | |
| 2 | Havelian Tehsil | 342 | 256,754 | 98.8 | ||
| 3 | Lora Tehsil | 187 | 98,717 | 97.22 | ||
| 4 | Lower Tanawal Tehsil | 153 | 60,262 | 98.88 | ||
| 5 | Allai Tehsil | 804 | 218,149 | 271.33 | Batagram District | |
| 6 | Batagram Tehsil | 497 | 335,984 | 676.02 | ||
| 7 | Ghazi Tehsil | 595 | 151,839 | 255.19 | Haripur District | |
| 8 | Haripur Tehsil | 834 | 836,058 | 1,002.47 | ||
| 9 | Khanpur Tehsil | 296 | 186,886 | 631.37 | ||
| 10 | Bataira / Kolai | 170 | 142,660 | 839.18 | Kolai-Palas District | |
| 11 | Palas | 1,240 | 137,502 | 110.89 | ||
| 12 | Bankad Tehsil | 331 | 205,851 | 621.91 | Lower Kohistan District | |
| 13 | Pattan Tehsil | 311 | 134,166 | 431.4 | ||
| 14 | Baffa Pakhal | 640 | 460,090 | 718.89 | Mansehra District | |
| 15 | Bala Kot Tehsil | 2,376 | 310,339 | 130.61 | ||
| 16 | Darband | 102 | 51,702 | 506.88 | ||
| 17 | Mansehra Tehsil | 700 | 723,325 | 1,033.32 | ||
| 18 | Oghi Tehsil | 307 | 251,721 | 819.94 | ||
| 19 | Tanawal Tehsil | |||||
| 20 | Daur Maira Tehsil | 86 | 50,503 | 587.24 | Torghar District | |
| 21 | Judba Tehsil | 63 | 63,083 | 1,001.32 | ||
| 22 | Khander Hassanzai Tehsil | 305 | 86,859 | 284.78 | ||
| 23 | Dassu Tehsil | 1,958 | 148,914 | 76.05 | Upper Kohistan District | |
| 24 | Harban Basha Tehsil | |||||
| 25 | Kandia Tehsil | 1,926 | 165,232 | 85.79 | ||
| 26 | Seo Tehsil | 258 | 59,557 | 230.84 |