The People of Hazara

Peoples.

Hazara is peopled by an conglomeration of various races and tribes. Due to this fact some ignorant people have a misconception about the name of Division that Hazara owes it,s name to Hazar or a thousand tribes dwelling in this area.

About the people, historians, as well as,  these tribes are of the opinion that, among them several are the original inhabitants of this area, while the rest have migrated from other places. They migrated to this area under necessity. Some came for trade and commerce, because this area was an important trade route between Kabul and Kashmir, while a few entered this region as conquerors. Beside these two groups, the third group was of those people who sought shelter in this area after their expulsion from their native homes.

Though the majority of the population in this area (about 99.98%) are Muslims, but the religion of people before the advent of Islam was Hinduism, as well as, Buddhism. Islam in Hazara, like in other parts of the N.W.F.P now (KPK) spread very rapidly, but at the time of partition of the Sub-Continent, Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and Ahmadies were also part of the population of this area.

The following area the principal races and tribes in Hazara:-

1. JADOONS.

Of the genuine Pathan tribes in Hazara, the most numerous are the Jadoons. They Occupy Mangal, Rash and Rajoia plains with villages on their fringe. Bagra and its neighbouring villages are also the chief dwelling places of this tribe.

About their origin Olaf Cairo in his famous book " The Pathans " mentioned that the Jadoons are the Pathans of the family of Ghurghust, son of Qais Abdur-Rashid. While on the other hand Sir Denzil Ibbetson asserts that " the jadoons are of  Indian origin " but it is a fact that Ghurghust s/o Qais Abdur Rashid had three sons and the Jadoons or Gadoons are the descendants of one of his son Darni.

The Jadoons entered Hazara in the beginning of the 17th century and took possession of lands then belonging to Turks and Dilazaks. Some historians also believe that when Bhakko Khan attacked Hazara in the 17th century, Jadoons also accompanied him. About their establishment on firm footing in this area, historians write that," after expulsion of the Dilazaks by Emperor Jahangir, the Jadoons family established themselves and spread up to the Dor Valley, as far as Abbottabad".

They are divided into three main sections.  Emperor Jahangir  and Salar, and dwell in the areas mentioned above.

2. TAHIRKHALIES.

The Tahirkhalies, a sub-section of the Utmanzai Yousafzaies, dwell in Kharri and in the lower part of the Gandgar hills in the south-western Hazara. Though the Tahirkhalies are a sub-section of the Utmanzaies but have a different character and customs.

During the Sikh rule over Hazara they (the Tahirkhalies) created a lot of troubles for the neighbouring villages and for the time being they also remained a troublesome tribe for the British. It is an industrious tribe and dwells in , and Ghazi villages of the Haripur District.

3. TAREENS.
The Tareens are directs descendants of Sharkbun, the grandson of QaisAbdur-Rashid so in their origin they are connected with Jadoons. They came to Hazara in 18th century with the Utmanzaies and gradually supplanted the original inhabitants of this area, the Gujars. H.D. Watson writes that the first Tareen chief settled in this area was driven out by the Governor of that place. Sher Khan on his arrival in the sub-continent took service under the Emperor Shah Jahan in 1631. Shah Jahan also gave him 2,00,000 rupees in cash and permitted the Tareen chief to keep up a contingent of 1,000 horses.
The Tareens were very powerful during the Mughal and the Durani periods but with the advent of the Sikhs their power began to wane. Instead of it, they were a constant source of trouble for the British during the middle of the 19th century.
The Tareens are divided into two sections i.e the Tor (Black) and the Spin (White) Tareens, which are further divided into fourteen sub-sections, six of them from Tor and eight from the Spin Tareens. In Hazara they dwell mostly in Haripur District and Darwaish and Rehana are their main villages.