Hazara movement splits as Sardar Yousaf becomes head of new entity

Hazara movement splits as Sardar Yousaf becomes head of new entity

ABBOTTABAD/MANSEHRA: Former district nazim of Mansehra, Sardar Muhammad Yousaf was unanimously elected as chairman of the Sooba Hazara Tehrik late Tuesday night at a meeting attended by representatives of political parties, religious scholars, traders, lawyers and other segments of the society.
Comprising more than 100 members, the supreme council of the Sooba Hazara Tehrik was formally announced. It has members from almost all the political parties except Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Awami National Party from the six districts of Hazara division including Haripur, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Kohistan, Battagram and Torghar.
An ‘Elders Council’ comprising Gohar Ayub Khan, Amanullah Khan Jadoon, Syed Qasim Shah, Alam Zeb Khan, Maulana Amin, Zareen Gul and Pir Kamal Shah was also formed for smooth running of the movement.
The meeting was attended by the office-bearers and workers of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl, JUI-S, Jamaat-e-Islami, Tehrik-e-Insaf, Awami Ittehad, Tehrik Tahaffuz-e-Khatam-e-Nubawat, Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Pakistan People’s Party, Sunni Tehrik, Hazara Qaumi Mahaz, Tehrik-e-Minhaj-ul-Quran, traders and district bar associations, and labour federation.
Though the elderly Sardar Haider Zaman had organised the Tehrik-e-Sooba Hazara, differences emerged after he registered it as a political party with the Election Commission of Pakistan. The move annoyed most of the stalwarts who were supporting Haider Zaman, prompting them to organize the movement under the title of Sooba Hazara Tehrik.
Interestingly, all the six district co-coordinators who were earlier running activities of the movement under the leadership of Baba Haider Zaman were present at the meeting that elected the office-bearers for the new body.
All Parties Conference which was attended and addressed by Federal Minister Shahjehan Yousaf, Wajeehuzzaman, MPA, Tariq Khan Swati, Shahzada Gustasap Khan, Yousaf Ayub Khan, Ejaz Durrani, Qalandar Khan Lodhi, MPA, former federal minister Amanullah Khan Jadoon, former deputy speaker of the National Assembly Sardar Muhammad Yoqoob, ex-district amir of JI Abdur Razzaq Abbasi, Naseer Khan Jadoon,Waseem Jadoon who is president of the PPP youth wing, Tahir Faraz Abbasi, president of District Bar Association, former lawmaker Zareen Gul Khan, another former MPA Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani and Wali Muhammad Khan Jadoon.
Briefing the reporters Sardar Muhammad Yousaf warned the government of dire consequences if the creation of Seraiki province was announced and Hazara was not given the status of a province.
Sardar Yousaf, who belongs to Mansehra district and is considered a prominent figure of the PML-Q, vowed to continue struggle for a separate Hazara province. He said they would launch a forceful campaign after Ramazan and hold protest meetings in all the six districts of Hazara division.
He said that creation of Hazara province was one of the points of agreement struck with PPP when the PML-Q joined the government and hoped the PPP-led government would honour its commitment.
He said that no political party had opposed the creation of Hazara province. He said resolution would be tabled in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly soon as currently no one was against Hazara province.
Sardar Yousaf said the Tehrik had been constituted to provide a neutral platform to party workers and activists of almost all the political and religious parties to continue the struggle for the separate province of Hazara.
“Following the registration of the Tehrik as a political entity, a neutral platform was needed to wage struggle for separate province and we have constituted Sooba Hazara Tehrik for this purpose,” he argued. He said Baba Haider Zaman did not consult the other parties before registering the Tehrik, which compelled them to establish a non-political platform.

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