OPPOSITION OFFERED TO THE BRITISH

The advent of the British unlike that of the Duranies as well as the Sikh was welcomed in the settled area of Hazara The people after the repressive and harsh rule of the Sikhs considered their new rulers as their saviors. In the early days of the British hre little or no resistance was offered to them this good will of the people was reciprocated with equal catholicity of the British by exempting them from the general order of surrendering all arms and weapons which was enforced just six weeks after the annexation of the Punjab by the British in consequence of which some 100,200 weapons of all sizes and kinds were surrendered in the Punjab but none in Hazara.

During November 1852 due to some misunderstanding between Zamin Shah of Bela Kawai of Kaghan area and Major James Abbott an expedition consisting of six regiments six heavy guns and numerous tribal levies under the command of colonel Mackson was organized and sent but the misunderstanding was peacefully removed. As a matter of fact individual cases of resistances against the British were not uncommon among the people but collective as well as any kind of massive resistance was rare and Hazara settled areas remained peaceful.

During the days when different religion political movements in the Sub continent were starting the general behavior of the masses in this area could not remain unaffected by these movements. When the Khilafat movement was on the full swing as a mass movement the people of Hazara also joined ot enthusiastically. No effort was spared by the people in the movement and as a result Hazara especially Mansehra Tehsil became unruly. Diwan Chand oberal defines the situation in these words. “The Mansehra tehsil practically acknowledged no British rule. The villagers especially in Dhudial and Shinkiari had appointed their own officials, such as Tehsildar and Thanadars and even attempted to set up their own administration. Besides participation of the general masses in religious movements they also resisted the British Government in her every steps injurious to the people. Agitation against the notorious Rowlett Act and resistance to the emergency power ordinance 1932 are the instance of this kind of resistance.

Though the British government tools some drastic measures such as the imposition of Martial Law in the Mansehra tehsil but could not succeed fully to extirpate it. Anti Government resentment remained alive in the hearts of the people who were in need of capable and sincere leadership when the Muslim League started its struggle for the noble cause of Pakistan their enthusiasms burst out with full force.