Jamaat-e-Islami KP demands separate “Hazara province”

KARACHI:  Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has demanded the establishment of a separate “Hazara province”, citing long-standing economic deprivation despite the region’s vast natural resources.

Ameer-e- Jamaat-e-Islami Hazara KP, Abdul Razzaq Abbasi, has renewed his party’s demand for the creation of a separate Hazara province while talking to journalists during a visit to the Karachi Press Club.

Abdul Razzaq Abbasi said that although Hazara Division is rich in minerals, hydropower, and tourism potential, its people continue to face underdevelopment and neglect.

He stated that JI supports the establishment of new provinces across the country on administrative grounds, including Hazara.

He pointed out that the KP Assembly had already passed unanimous resolutions on three occasions in favour of the creation of a Hazara province.

Highlighting the region’s economic significance, JI Hazara KP Ameer stated that around 80 percent of Pakistan’s hydropower is generated in Hazara Division.

According to him, this electricity lights up major cities, including Lahore, while local communities near these projects remain deprived of basic facilities. He stressed that local populations should have the first right over their own resources.

He further said that Hazara contains some of Pakistan’s most valuable and high-quality minerals, generating over Rs.8 billion annually, yet numerous areas of Hazara lack proper roads, schools, and hospitals.

Criticising federal governance, Abbasi pointed out that the newly established Hazara Electric Supply Company (HESCO) has a Board of Governors with no representation from Hazara, with all members reportedly from Punjab.

He alleged that out of 4,000 positions in HAZECO, not a single person from Hazara has been recruited, with all appointments made from Punjab.

He also raised concerns over appointments in regional institutions, stating that former Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ehsan Mani is the chairman of the Galiyat Development Authority board, despite having little knowledge of the Galiyat region.

Similarly, he criticised the Ayub Medical Complex, saying its management committee is headed by Dr Yousaf, who lives in the United States and is originally from Lahore.

Abbasi also accused the federal and provincial governments of financial neglect, claiming that Hazara does not receive its due share under the National Finance Commission (NFC) award.

He said that funds released from Islamabad go to Peshawar, but Hazara does not receive even a single rupee, and whatever share exists is lost to corruption.

He concluded by stating that Hazara’s resources are under central control, leading to widespread underdevelopment, lack of education, poor road infrastructure, and social deprivation.

He maintained that if Hazara were made a separate province, it could stand on its own feet economically, adding that the creation of new administrative units would not weaken Pakistan but rather strengthen the federation.