During the
colonial era Hazara Division (then Hazara District) had been part of
Peshawar Division and was made up of three tehsils namely Haripur, Mansehra and Abbottabad - following the dissolution of
West Pakistan in 1970,
Hazara District and the two tribal agencies were merged to create the new Hazara Division, with Abbottabad designated as its capital. Initially, the division comprised two districts: Abbottabad and Mansehra. Over the next few years, administrative changes led to the creation of two additional districts—Haripur was carved out of Abbottabad District, and Batagram was separated from Mansehra District. Hazara functioned as a district until 1976, when it was formally upgraded to a division. In October of that year, Mansehra was granted full district status, encompassing the tehsils of Mansehra and Batagram. Later, in July 1991, Haripur Tehsil was separated from Abbottabad and established as an independent district. This left only the original Abbottabad Tehsil, which was then officially became Abbottabad District. In 2000, Pakistan abolished its administrative divisions, elevating districts to serve as the new third tier of government. At the time of abolition, Hazara Division consisted of eight districts. However, in 2008, administrative divisions were reinstated, and Hazara Division was formally re-established. == Demographics ==