ADMINISTRATIVE MACHINERY

Hazara for administrative purpose during the British period was under the direct charge of a Deputy Commissioner who besides other duties was also responsible for the Government’s liaison with the border tribes. For his assistance a subordinate staff consisting of a District Judge a treasury officer an Assistant Commissioner.  E.A.Cs Land Revenue officer Forest conservators an S.P and DSP Police inspectors a Civil surgeon who was also incharge of Jails a Deputy Public instructor for education Tehsildar, Naib Tehsildar, Patwaries etc, etc. were also appointed. Besides these officials some leading personalities had also been entrusted with the task of magistrates of different grades and jurisdiction over their respective areas.

The basic unit of administration was a police Thana with jurisdiction over several villages. Besides controlling crimes the police was also entrusted with the ob of processing applications for Hajj as well as for Government Services during the Worked War ll. For local duties in the rural areas the Government used to appoint villages headmen, with numerous duties which includes collection of land revenue on due dates collection of the rent and other dues of the common land reporting about crimes and to caring out any other order of the Government’s was important. To check their efficiency the Government also used to appoint chief headmen while Patwaries. Besides their official job i.e. keeping revenue records were also used for this purpose. In the urban areas headmen’s duties were those of an officer of the staff of the municipal committee and notified areas committees which in 1947 were 3 and 4 respectively in Hazara.

About the administration of the British one has to admit that it was efficient due to which every district especially Hazara with nesses a period of prosperity as well as development Indeed the later development and the sound administration in this Division is the outcome of infrastructure prepared by the British Government.

BRITISH ADMINISTRATION

Soon after the annexation of the Punjab a Board of Administration for the entire province was appointed which further appointed D.Cs in each district as the Boards agent. Hazara was also given the statues of a district and Major James Abbott was appointed as is first Deputy Commissioner. For administrative purpose the District exclusive of feudal Tanawal was divided into two Tehsils namely Haripur and Mansehra While Abbott Abad area was given the status of a tehsil in 1847.

RESISTANCE BY THE BORDER PEOPLE

Unlike the settled area the people dwelling of the western border of Hazara remained in a state of bitter hostility towards the British. They refused to acknowledge the British ascendance by heart and remained in a state of open revolt and the Government finding no other alternative sent more than four punitive expeditions against them in a short period of forty years.

The first occasion on which the British came into collision with any of the Trans border people of Hazara was in 1851. In the autumn of that year two officers of the customs department named Mr. Corne and Mr. Topp entered Hassazi territory with a view to obtaining first hand information as to the routes by which trans Indus salt found its way into the Punjab. They paid the penalty with their lives. The tribesmen refused to surrender the murderers and according to Captain HL Nevill. No alternative remained therefore but to send a punitive expedition into the Hassazi territory.

Though Lord Dalhousi at first was reluctant to take active measures against a tribe which he could not control permanently but later though necessary to vindicate the British prestige So order were at last issued for the Punishment of the offenders. According on 19^th December 1852 a force consisting of detachment from Guides and Ist Sikh and Dogra regiments some mountain guns and a number of levies and police under the command Col: Mackeson was sent. Several skirmishes occurred and the British Government considering the demolition of the Hassanzai village with all their crops a sufficient punishment for the murder of the two British officers retreated to its camps in January 1853.

Though after this event the tribes remained quiet for some time but after a few days they again created troubles for the Government on a large scale. Due to those troubles the Government besides blocking several tribes and levying fines on several villages was constrained to sending three more expeditions against the people with in a limited span of thirty years.

Making the resistance spineless besides conferring titles on the leading persons such as Khan Bahadur, Khan Sahib Knight Commander of the Star of India. The Government also adopted several preventive measures construction of military posts on the borders different approaches roads to those posts giving allowances to the khans recruiting men for border police from the independent clans providing arms to the border villages and to some extent succeeded in lessening resistance of the border people though after the 4^th BM expedition in 1891 there did not occurred a necessity of sending any punitive expedition against the border people of Hazara from the British side but the people throughout the British tenure  remained discontented with their rulers. They openly sided with the Amir of Afghanistan as well as the well known freedom fighter Haji Sahib of Turangzai and provided a considerable manpower support for the noble cause of both those personalities.

In the later days of the British rule when the Pakistan Movement was in full swing besides direct resistance to the Government some indirect methods like communal disturbances were also adopted in this area. These feelings were further ignited by the tragic communal riots of Calcutta  UP Bombay Bihar etc  and in addition to the destruction of several Hindu Temples and Sikh Gurdwaras resulted in 28 causalities resulted in a single day in a single border village Ogahi. In fact this was the area like other frontier border of the northern India about those Sir Olaf Caroe was of the opinion that a foot placed wrong in this area might at any times attract the responsibility not only of the central Government in India but of London itself.

Durani Period

Attock Fort

A fresh epoch in the history of Hazara started with the invasion of Punjab by Ahmad Shah Durani, the successor of Nadir Shah in1748, and the cession to him of the Punjab including Kashmir in 1752. Hazara also came under the new invaders. The Duranies managed the area through chiefs, on whom they conferred chiefdoms and large allowances. It is probable that the succeeding years of Ahmad Shah and his successor,s reign saw a little strengthening of administration in Hazara. But it was not to the interest of Kabul rulers to exact much revenue. They were able as occasion needed to draw good soldiers from the area, used one of the best roads to Kashmir which lay through its center and were content with the meager revenues.     

Raja Ranjit Singh

            The Duranies were the rulers but due to their little scamp in this country their rule was only nominal. Their administration was so weak that in the beginning of 19th century the Durani government had lost its influence over the people of Hazara. This was indeed a matter of little concern to the Durani rulers and their deputies in Kashmir. Collecting such arrears of revenue as they could conveniently extort on their way through the area, they were content to forget it as soon as they were out of it. According to H.D. Watson. If their faces were set towards the rich vale of Kashmir it was lost time to loiter on the road. If they were returning home towards Afghanistan their hearts were still less inclined to linger in so profitless a tract.

            Dur to their weak administration  law and order situation had so much degenerated that factions, treachery, assassinations, inter-tribal raids and general lawlessness were the common feature of daily life. Even the safety of movement of a traveler from one estate to the other was conditioned by a tax called Badragha.

            The Duranies had tried their best to improve the law and order situation in the area. For this purpose they sent several detachments of troops on different occasions. Due to which several skirmishes also occurred between the two parties. Though in these skirmishes the rebels were defeated but the Duranies failed in establishing law and order situation on firm footing, as well as obtaining taxes.

            In the area this lawless situation continued till Duranies defeat, after which they were compelled to evacuate Hazara for its new rulers, The Sikhs.

Old age farmer

            Though Duranies were completely beaten during the first half of 19th century but they claimed their right over this country for quite some time, but at last according to a tripartite treaty ( The Governor General, Raja Ranjit Singh and Shah Shujah-ul-Mulk were the members) called The Treaty of Alliance and Friendship between Maharajah Ranjit Singh and Shah Shujah-ul-Mulk, signed on 25th june 1835, at Shimla. The later surrendered all claims and titles by him self, his heirs, his successors and all the Saddozaies, to Kashmir, Attock, Punjab, some areas of Sindh and all most the whole of the present K.P.K area to Maharajah Ranjit Singh.