HISTORY OF HARIPUR

Haripur formerly a military cantonment, was renamed in honour of the Sikh general Hari Singh Nalwa in 1822 and became the headquarters of Hazara (until 1853). Hari Singh Nalwa was appointed by Raja Ranjit Singh as the second Nazim of Hazara after the first Nazim Amar Singh Majithia was killed by the local populace.
Haripur was built as a fortress surrounded by a wall which was four yards thick and sixteen yards high and had only four openings. That fort later became the city police station and the road was named Fort Road (which is near to the village Sikandarpur) and there is a famous University AIOU Campus named (SUIS) is based. Drinking water was provided by digging a tank. Many small drains were dug to carry sullage water. There is a small river that passes through the city named river Dore whose water leads to the Tarbela Dam. Baron Hugal visited the town on December 23, 1835, and he found the town humming with activity. The municipality was constituted in 1867.
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.
In 1851 the 4th (Hazara) Mountain Battery was raised from Hazara gunners who were trained by Major Abbott in order to defend Hazara District. The Hazaras embarked on many campaigns throughout the province.
The population in 1901 was 5,578 and the income and expenditure during the ten years ending 1902-3 averaged Rs. 17,800. In 1903-4 the income and expenditure were Rs. 19,100 and Rs. 20,000 respectively.
Geographical Features
To the south of Haripur only miles away lie the ancient Buddhist university town of Taxila. To the north within miles is the world's largest rockfilled dam, Tarbela Dam, the bulwark of Pakistani power generation and irrigation system. Also to the south lies the picturesque Khanpur dam which supplies drinking water to Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
Close to the city of Haripur also lies the industrial area of Hattar. Another major industrial complex lying at the outskirts of the main Haripur city is the Telephone Industries of Pakistan or TIP (The biggest Telephone factory in whole ASIA). Such as another industry just next to TIP is National Radio telecommunication Corporation (NRTC).
Haripur is a green valley rich in fruits and vegetables and serves as the base market for the mountainous cities of Abbottabad and Mansehra and rest of Hazara Division. It is currently the major city of Haripur district, one of the five districts that used to comprise Hazara Division namely Haripur, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Batagram and Kohistan.
Famous People
" Field Marshal Ayub Khan
" Sultan Raja Erij Zaman Khan - Chief of Gakhars and Ex-MPA
" Raja Sikander Zaman - Ex Chief Minister, NWFP.
" Air Chief Marshal Muhammad Anwar Shamim.
" Sardar Bahadur Khan - Ex Federal Railways Minister and Leader of the Opposition.
" Sardar Muhammad Mushtaq Khan Current MNA of Haripur and Ex-MPA and Provincial Minister NWFP.
" Sardar Fakr-e-Alam Khan Ex-election comisioner of Pakistan and Ex-Chief Justice Peshawar High Court
" Yousaf Ayub Khan - Ex NWFP Minister.
" Qateel Shifai, famous Urdu language poets of Pakistan