CHANGES OF AREA ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISION

In 1849 A.D when the area of  Hazara was brought under the British rule it comprised a vast area but in later days several changes with regards to its area tool place. For instance in 1850 a tract consisting of 270 villages along with 28 villages on or near the Harroh Stream were transferred to Rawalpindi District. In 1900 the whole of attack tehsil was added to Hazara as its fourth tehsil but in 1901 it was again restored to Rawalpindi District and the rest of Hazara under notification number 5780 - P issued by the Home Department was merged in N.W.F.P on 25^th October 1901.

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.

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.

HAZARA UNDER BRITISH RULE

The British came to sub continent in the garb of traders but because of their machination they assumed the role of its rulers. Up to 1843 to 1846 quite a few regions were captured by them but the imposition of the British Raj on the Punjab was yet to come. This opportunity was afforded to them with the outbreak of the first war between the Sikhs and the British which besides other consequences resulted in an agreement between the two. Due to this agreement a British Resident was deputed to Lahore while Kashmir and Hazara area sold to Raja Ghulab |Singh for 7500000 rupees in March 1846. But during the same month of the succeeding year on the request of the Raja management f Hazara was directly assumed by the Lahore Darbaar H Lawrence. The British Resident at Lahore deputed Captain James Abbott in this region entrusted with the task of demarcating the boundary between Kashmir and the Punjab. It was towards the end of May 1847 while engaged in this work near the border of Hazara that he James Abbott received order deputing him to Hazara with full power of control over the administration.

Of a sanguine enthusiastic temperament warm hearted and generous he had little difficulty in winning the hearts of the people who welcome him as their savior from the Sikh as well as from the Dogra oppression. He earned their gratitude with his many acts of generosity and kindliness. Due to his kind heartedness he came to be almost worshipped by the people.

He up to the latter half of 1848 worked very patiently for the British as well as for the people cause but soon after wards some disputes between him and Sardar Chattur Singh the Sikh Governor of Hazara took place. These differences became so ominous that Major James Abbott and his 16 British colleges were compelled to take refuge first in Gandgar and later in the Tanawal area. In these areas the British found hospitable friends who in their hard days were a source of satisfaction for them and the second Sikh war maintained them and thwarted all the efforts of the Sikhs and the Afghan who came in the area to dislodge the British. Major James Abbott with the help of the local people fought so bravely against his enemies during the March 1849 that on the conclusion of the war be was appointed the first Deputy Commissioner D.C of the District. As a matter of fact with arrival of Major James Abbott a new era dawned in the chequered history of this area.

Hazara upto Mughals.

Stories about legendary Hindu hero "RAJA RASALLU" of about the 2nd century A.D are still remembered by the elders of the 20th century. He, it is said was a son of Raja Salbahan of Sialkot and visited this area only for amusement.According to historians "RAJA SERI CUP" the ruler of this area was a gambler and lost his kingdom and also his daughter Rani Cokallan to Raja Rasallu in a game of chess. According to some local tales the gambling practices of Raja Seri Cup lost his life at the hand of Raja Rasallu at a point near the present Khanpur village.


Another story recorded in several books about Raja Rasallu  is also common. Theme of the story is that the Raja slew his wife who was in love with a giant. He also closed the mouth of the cave with boulders in which the giant had taken shelter. It is also given that before closing the cave the Raja drew a picture of his bow and arrow on the cave's inner side. seeing this the demon dared not attempt to issue forth and ever since he has remained inprisoned in the cave. emitting from time to time roars and groanings that sound like the rumbling of distant thunder. 

The Mughal emperor Jahangir in his autobiography, also writes a note about this voice, that " I heared from the people of this country that when it is not the rainy seasons and there is no sign of a cloud or lightning a noise like the rumbling of clouds from this hill, ( The Gandgar Hill, situated on the south western side of Haripur city. This noise is heard every year or at least every two years. I had repeatedly heard of this also when I was in attendance on the Late King.

The next account about the history of this area is from the pen of the famous Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsiang. He visited it in the 7th century A.D and described this land as the Kingdom of Wu-La-Shi , situated to the north west of kashmir.

According to another account of the history of this region, some historian are of the opinion that accouding to RAJA TARANGINI  written by Pandit Kalhana, KING SHAUKARAVARMAN and his army was attacked by the inhabitants in 902 A.D. when they were marching through this country. In the next century Kalahana describes Urasa as being occupied by a Kashmiri force under Kalashan (1063 to 1089 A.D) while from 1112 A.D to 1120 A.D this area remained under the direct sway of King Susala . Traces here and there of ancient villages and forts legends inscribed on walls one at Soha near Bir village in Tanawal area and another at Patan are evidences of Hindu domination.

The next that we hear of Hazara is in connection with the Great Timurlance, who on returning after his invasion of Delhi in 1399 A.D. made over the area to a number of Kurluke Turks By this time the Hindu rulers had been ousted and the authority of the Muslims had beem established over their places. After their settlement in this area they (The Turks) remained in power for more than four centuries. It may also be noted here that to this settlement of the Turks, the name Hazara is probably due.

Throught out its history upto March 1849  the date when the British formally amalgamated Hazara in their domain Hazara ramained under different chiefs as well as under different rulers. as well as under different  rulers at the same time. As during the Mughal period , the Governors of Kashmir while the North  eastern area of this country was controlled by the Governor of Kashmir while the Western side and Haripur plains were under the direct control of the Turk Chief as well as under the governors of Attock illaqa respectively.

This area from Haripur plains to the Kaghan glens via Pakhli was a vital link in the chain that connected Kashmir with the rest of India as well as with Afghanistan. The Mughals used it on several occasions. Akbar the Great, for instance used this route twice while in 1619-20 when Emperor Jahangir decided to spend his summer in the Kashmir valley he also used this route. During the journey he halted at several places and on the request of Sultan Hussain, the Turk chief of Pakhli went to his house. Emperor Akbar had also visited the Turk chief house on 23rd September 1589 and granted him the Pakhli area as a fief. During Jahangir's visit Sultan Hussain exchanged presents with the Emperor. Due to the Turk chief behaviour and attitude on that occasion, the Emperor promoted his mansab Rank to 600 sawars and 350 horses. The Emperor also conferred on him a robe of honour a jewelled dagger and an elephant.

Though during Akbar's  later days the Pakhli area saw a scene of a revolt initiated by a chief named Hindal, entitled Sultan Nasir, but it was crushed succesfully and Pakhli was restored to its legitimate owner.

During the later Mughal period changes of great importance took place in this area. These arose mainly from two causes, tha decadence of the vitality of the old families and the increasing inroads of the pathans and their allied races. One of the most notable of these events was the invasion of Pakhli by the Swaties. The Latest inroads of the Sawaties under the capable leadership of Saiyed Jalal was in 1703. The Turks ( dominant Tribe of the area) were ousted and the invaders established themselves on the  northern part of Pakhli and in the hilly country adjoining it to the west. It is also a fact that during the same period Tanawalies, Jadoons, Tareens, Utmanzaies and other Pathan tribes crossed the Indus and siezed some territory in this area.

For lack of any written records it is difficult , if not impossible to describe exactly the events taking place during the period . but as a matter of fact the changes were the natural result of the total absence of a strong controlling central authority and of a system in which might was the only right.