Earlier Period
Administrative division of region comprising the whole area including present day Islamabad, districts of Rawalpindi, Jehlum and Attock of Punjab and Haripur, Abbottabad and Mansehra of NWFP has been changing from time to time throughout the history. Gazetteer of Rawalpindi District 1893-4, quoting historians of Alexander the Great, states that at the time of the Greek invasion the hill country North and Northeast of Taxila comprising present day Murree and Kahuta (including Kotli Sattian which was created as a tehsil in 1993 a century later) was ruled by Abhisar. The kingdom was named after the king.

During the Mughal period all hilly and semi hilly areas east of Haripur plains were part of Fatehpur Babari (Rawalpindi) under the the governorship of Gakkars. Murree, Kahuta, Kotli Sattian, parts of present day Haripur and Abbottabad districts formed part of the Khakhar governorship. The Hazara plains, present district of Haripur were part of Attock district while the Mansehra region, then called Pakhli sarkar was governed from Kashmir.

The Sikh Rule
Sikh Sardar Milka Singh Thepuria occupied Rawalpindi in late seventeenth century but hilly areas including the Dhund and Karral country retained independence. Though Milka Singh granted 107 villages of the hill track Ghakkar chiefs but the gift was more nominal then real.

Maharaja Ranjit Singh took direct control of the Rawalpindi District in 1820. The Sikh armies, under the command of Hari Singh, attacked the area twice during next ten years but failed to subjugate the Karral and Dhund tribes inhabiting the area.

Frustrated by the continued resistance by the local population, in 1831 Maharaja Ranjit Singh entrusted the rule of the area to Sardar Ghulab Singh, then Sikh Governor of Muzaffarabad. Sardar Ghulab Singh treated the local population, especially the Dhond tribe, in a very harsh manner. He let loose his Sikh army over the tribe. His soldiers were rewarded one rupee for every hill man slain. It is said that the killing by the troops of Sardar Ghulab Singh became so numerous that it became a burden on his treasury. As a result, the reward was first reduced to half a rupee per person killed and then was further reduced to quarter of a rupee.

However, as the Sikh empire started to disintegrate in the aftermath of palace intrigues which engulfed the Lahore court after the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1839, the Dhunds and Karrals again rose in revolt and the troops had to be sent from Lahore to quell the resistance.

British Period

At the time of British took over, all the hilly areas east of Rawalpindi formed part of the Hazara District. In July 1850 the British government decided to hand over 309 villages Hazara to Rawalpindi. The ilakas (regions) handed over the the Rawalpindi district from Hazara included Pulgran, Kurri, Mughal, (Rawalpindi Tehsil) Charhan, Dewal, Kotli, Karor (Murree Tehsil) Jasgam, Kahuta, Kairo , Murree (Kahuta Tehsil) and Haro (Attock tehsil). However, parts of Dhund areas like Bakot, Boi, and Lora and the Karral country which formed part of Rawalpindi before 1831 were not returned to the Rawalpindi district and were kept in Hazara, which at that time consisted of Tehsils of Haripur and Mansehra. Tehsil Abbottabad was created in 1874 and most of these areas were included in the new Tehsil. Later in 1901 the Province of North West Frontier Province was created and Hazara district was merged into the new province. Thus the people of same ethnic group living together for centuries were divided into two provinces by virtue of the decision taken in July 1850.

The Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner of Rawalpindi established their summer offices in the area in 1851. Soon the area became famous in the British Indian empire and more and more tourists and businessmen started to arrive in the area. Murree Sanatorium Committee was established in 1851. The committee was renamed as municipal committee in 1867.The British soldiers arrived in Murree in 1850. Initially they encamped at Nandkot near Tret, about thirty kilometers from Islamabad. However they had to leave the place and go present site of Murree as there were large number of cases where soldiers were bitten by snakes.

Barracks for the soldiers were built in 1853 and proper houses started to be constructed.

War of Independence

The local tribes, have long history of resistance to Afghan and Sikh rule, initially did give much thought to the British occupation. But as the British started to settle in the eyebrows were raised and they started thinking about waging war against the new invaders. By the time of the War of Independence, or what the British called spy rebellion, the people of Murree were already convinced about military struggle against the British. As the news about the war came in, the tribes started consultations with this effect. According to the gazetteer of Rawalpindi 1893, the British government received reports of pledges among the tribesmen for the purpose in May, June 1857. The British called to local tribal heads to Murree and detained them in the name of consultations. However, as it seemed to be counterproductive so the tribesmen were allowed to return to their villages. On September 2, 1857 the local tribesmen, belonging to Dhond (Abbasi) tribe attacked the British settlements. However, the British got the information about the attack before hand and were well prepared and the Dhond attack was repulsed with heavy losses. In the meantime more force was called from Rawalpindi and services of loyal tribes were also called.

With increased force the British government started retaliatory action against the Dhond tribe. A number of tribesmen were killed during the operation and their villages were put on fire. Many others were arrested. Seeing the fate of the Dhond tribe, other hill tribes, who had earlier pledged their support to Dhonds, changed sides and assured their support to the British government. After the end of the war those under arrest were charged for various offenses and their properties were confiscate. On October 17, 1858, 23 persons were blasted away by tying them in front of cannon. That brutal act took place at agency ground adjacent of Army Public School. Others were sent in banishment to Andaman and Nicobar islands for life.

As a collective punishment Dhonds were banned from joining any government service. The ban was only lifted at the start of present century but still the British animosity was not removed and they were continued to be called as treacherous, mischievous and untrustworthy in the government chronicles.

After the War
The Mall Road was constructed in 1860 and buildings were constructed on one side of the road while no constructed was allowed on the other side to maintain the beauty of the surroundings. This law continued to be strictly followed for next hundred and thirty years. In early 1990s, the law was allowed to be violated which has resulted in undesired construction on the Mall.

Murree was declared summer capital of the Punjab in 1873. The capital had to be shifted to Simla (now Hamachal Pradesh India) owing to widespread cases of Deahrea. At the start of twentieth century the British government established cantonments and military establishments at various places around Murree including Kuldana, Gharial, Upper and Lower Topa, Barian, and Kalabagh (near Nathiagalli). In the meantime Murree was also declared summer headquarter of the Northern Command of Indian Army which further increased Murree's position. During the period a number of English medium schools for the children of British families and solders were established. They included the Lawrence college, Saint Dynes and convent of Jesus and Merry. After independence Murree continued to progress with each passing day and it popularity increased among the common Pakistanis. Before independence the entry of people of the Subcontinent to the Mall Road was very restricted.