# Haripur, Pakistan

Haripur (Hindko, Urdu: ہری پور) is a city in the Hazara Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. It is the 14th largest city by population in the province, and serves as the headquarter of its namesake tehsil and district. Located some 65 km (40 mi) north of Islamabad Capital Territory and 35 km (22 mi) south of Abbottabad, Haripur is in a hilly plain area at an altitude of 520 m (1,706 ft).

## History

Haripur was founded by Hari Singh Nalwa, a Sikh commander of Ranjit Singh, in 1822 and became the headquarters of Hazara until 1848. Hari Singh Nalwa had been appointed as the Nazim of Hazara after the first Nazim Amar Singh Majithia was killed by the local populace at Samundar Katha, Abbottabad. The town was visited by Baron Hugel on 23 December 1835, and he found it humming with activity.
The British East India Company conquered Haripur after the defeat of the Sikhs in the first Anglo-Sikh War in 1846. An obelisk marks the grave of Colonel Canara, a European officer of the Sikh Artillery, who fell in 1848 defending his guns single-handed against the insurgents under Chattar Singh. The British divided Hazara region into three tehsils (administrative subdivisions): Mansehra, Abbottabad, and Haripur. Hazara formed part of Punjab province until 1901, when the British formed the buffer province of North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Hazara was annexed into it. During the British rule, Haripur was a small town. Its population according to the 1901 census was 5,578 and the income and expenditure during the ten years ending 1902–3 averaged Rs. 17,800. In 1903–04 the income and expenditure were Rs. 19,100 and Rs. 20,000 respectively. The municipality was constituted in 1867.
In 1851, the 4th (Hazara) Mountain Battery was raised at Haripur by local Hazarewal gunners, who were trained by James Abbott, a British officer and first deputy commissioner of Hazara, to defend the district. The Hazarewals embarked on many campaigns throughout the province.
After the independence, Hazara district was elevated to the divisional status in 1976. After some time Haripur Tehsil was made district and Haripur became its headquarters.

## Education

Haripur has the University of Haripur with some colleges affiliated with it, as well as the Pak-Austria Fachhochschule: Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology.

## Demography

Religious groups in Haripur City (1881−2017) :
| Religious group | 1881 | 1881 | 1901 | 1901 | 1911 | 1911 | 1921 | 1921 | 1931 | 1931 | 1941 | 1941 | 2017 | 2017 |
| Religious group | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % |
| Islam | 2,461 | 50.39% | 2,978 | 53.39% | 3,515 | 56.76% | 2,907 | 49.36% | 4,253 | 55.57% | 5,174 | 55.5% | 132,930 | 99.87% |
| Hinduism | 2,378 | 48.69% | 1,666 | 29.87% | 2,250 | 36.33% | 2,636 | 44.76% | 2,693 | 35.19% | 3,113 | 33.39% | 5 | 0% |
| Sikhism | 45 | 0.92% | 933 | 16.73% | 423 | 6.83% | 346 | 5.88% | 696 | 9.09% | 1,035 | 11.1% | — | — |
| Jainism | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | — | — | — | — |
| Christianity | — | — | 1 | 0.02% | 5 | 0.08% | 0 | 0% | 11 | 0.14% | 0 | 0% | 65 | 0.05% |
| Zoroastrianism | — | — | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | — | — |
| Judaism | — | — | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | — | — |
| Buddhism | — | — | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | — | — | — | — |
| Ahmadiyya | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 50 | 0.04% |
| Others | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 50 | 0.04% |
| Total population | 4,884 | 100% | 5,578 | 100% | 6,193 | 100% | 5,889 | 100% | 7,653 | 100% | 9,322 | 100% | 133,100 | 100% |

## Climate

The weather in Haripur is characterized by relatively high temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. This climate type is found on the eastern sides of the continents between 20° and 35° N and S latitudes. The Köppen climate classification subtype for this climate is "Cfa" (humid subtropical climate).
Climate data for Haripur, Pakistan :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 17 (62) | 18 (64) | 23 (73) | 28 (82) | 34 (93) | 39 (102) | 37 (98) | 34 (93) | 33 (91) | 30 (86) | 24 (75) | 19 (66) | 28 (82) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 3 (37) | 5 (41) | 10 (50) | 14 (57) | 18 (64) | 24 (75) | 24 (75) | 23 (73) | 20 (68) | 14 (57) | 9 (48) | 4 (39) | 14 (57) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 74 (2.9) | 100 (4.1) | 120 (4.9) | 100 (4.1) | 74 (2.9) | 76 (3) | 250 (9.7) | 240 (9.6) | 97 (3.8) | 51 (2) | 30 (1.2) | 48 (1.9) | 1,260 (50.1) |
| Source: Weatherbase ||||||||||||||

## Notable personalities

* Ayub Khan, former President of Pakistan
* Qateel Shifai, Urdu poet and lyricist
* Sohail Akhtar, Pakistani cricketer
* Ali Azmat, Pakistani pop singer
* Allama Syed Jawad Naqvi, Islamic scholar
* Omar Ayub Khan, politician
* Raja Sikander Zaman, former Chief Minister
* Anwar Shamim, Air Marshal.
* Pir Sabir Shah, former Chief Minister
* Athar Minallah, Supreme Court Judge