Hazara Province

Time for Provincial Status

Hazara Division, with a population of 6.19 million and an area of 17,064 km², is home to millions of people, but many families struggle every day because the area does not get enough care or resources. Despite its crucial geographic and economic role, it faces poverty, underdevelopment, and chronic neglect, receiving an 11.5% share of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s development budget. Over 21% of its population lives in poverty, more than 34% of young children suffer from stunted growth, over 36% lack basic healthcare, and over 32,000 crime cases are reported annually. Experts believe that granting provincial status could be a game-changer, ensuring fair representation, improved governance, and balanced development.

Key Socio-Economic Indicators

Youth Unemployment 16.42%

Development Budget Allocation (2025–26) 11.5%

Annually Registered Crime Cases Over 32,000

Lacking Basic Health Facilities Over 36%

Literacy Rates 58.6%

Lacking Road Connectivity Over 24%

No Drainage and Sanitation 35%–60%

Population below the Poverty Line 21.8%

Children Stunted Growth 34.5%

Key Challenges

Hazara Division faces deep-rooted challenges spanning overstretched hospitals, education gaps in remote districts, untreated sewage, unsafe drinking water, limited local jobs, and underfunded development.

Health Overload:

Main hospitals in Abbottabad are overwhelmed because remote mountain districts severely lack specialized medical centers and doctors.
Education Shortfalls:

While urban hubs thrive, outer districts face major secondary school shortages, long mountain commutes, and a critical lack of female teachers.
Sewerage Overload:

Zero municipal wastewater treatment facilities exist, allowing raw urban sewage and factory waste to dump straight into local rivers.
Drinking Water Crisis:

Cities face falling groundwater levels from over-pumping, while rural mountain communities rely on unsafe, unprotected natural springs.
Unemployment:

A severe shortage of local corporate and industrial jobs forces educated graduates to migrate elsewhere for work.
Budget Allocation Disparity:

Hazara receives only an estimated 11.5% of the provincial development budget, leaving it heavily underfunded compared to central regions.

Governance Deficits

Sewerage Overload

Hazara Division faces a low operational efficiency of municipal disposal and solid waste management infrastructure.

Hazara

18/26 (69%)

Peshawar

(1/4) 25%

Poor Road Infrastructure

Hazara Division’s main highway and local roads face heavy traffic jams and frequent landslides, while mountain roads in Torghar and Kohistan are poorly built and often blocked by bad weather.

Drinking Water

Mountains limits standard piped distribution layouts, leading to a severe clean drinking water access gap.

Hazara

44%

Peshawar

38%

Poverty Rate

Compared to Peshawar, Hazara Division is facing a distinct poverty challenge.

Hazara

21.8%

Peshawar

11%

Health Indicators

Stunted Growth & Malnutrition

Child malnutrition, including stunting, is significantly high in Hazara Division.

Stunting

Hazara

34.5%

Peshawar

39%

Wasting

Hazara

9.2%

Peshawar

16%

Beds per 1,000 people

The availability of hospital beds is considerably thin relative to the division’s population.

Hazara: 0.54
Peshawar: 0.61

Teaching & Specialized Hospitals

Peshawar has a much stronger network of teaching and specialized hospitals than Hazara Division.

Hazara

Peshawar

Child Health Crisis

Infant and child mortality metrics in Hazara’s rural and alpine tehsils remain highly critical.

Infant Mortality (per 1,000 live births)

Hazara: 62
Peshawar: 53.2

Child Mortality (per 1,000 live births)

Hazara: 76
Peshawar: 81

Health Professionals per 1,000

The regional health workforce suffers from critical staffing shortages, particularly in remote tehsils.

Hazara: 0.48
Peshawar: 0.52

Education Shortfalls

Out of School Children

Hazara faces a significant challenge of out-of-school children due to institutional gaps and terrain barriers.

Hazara

31%

Peshawar

33.5%

Net Enrolment Rate

Primary to secondary net enrollment reveals a profound structural gap in institutional access.

Hazara

53%

Peshawar

51%

Access to Schools

Limited school access and long commutes remain serious concerns for students in remote districts.

Hazara

61%

Peshawar

59%

Judicial Stats

Peshawar High Court

At the Peshawar High Court (Abbottabad Bench), approximately 6,935 cases pertaining to the Hazara Division are pending, constituting 19.09% of the court’s total pendency.

Lower Courts (Hazara Division)

In the lower courts of the Hazara Division, 22,415 criminal cases and 58,920 civil cases are currently pending.

Consequently, the total number of pending cases in the lower courts of the Hazara Division amounts to 81,335.

Annually Registered Crime Cases

On average, over 32,000 crime cases are registered annually in the Hazara Division.

Global Comparison:

Pakistan: 241.5 million people with 04 provinces

India: Had 9 states at independence; now has 37. New states are created every five years, doubling the pace of development.

China: 1.4 billion people with 31 provinces.

USA: 320 million people with 50 states.

Indonesia: 275 million people with 34 provinces.

Russia: 142 million people with 70 to 75 provinces.