Hattian Bala (Azadi Times): A dispute between transporters and shopkeepers, following an attack on two public transport vans from Jhelum Valley, has been resolved after two separate grand jirgas in Hattian Bala and Kohala, Pakistan administered Kashmir. The Jhelum Valley administration requested five days to settle the issue of transport timings, and both parties agreed to resolve the conflict. Public transport between Jhelum Valley, Azad Kashmir (PaJK), and Rawalpindi, which had been suspended for a day, has now resumed, and dozens of forcibly closed shops in the valley have reopened.
According to details, in Jaleal, a town on the border of Abbottabad district, miscreants attacked two public vans traveling from Rawalpindi to Hattian Bala and Chinari under the cover of darkness. The attackers forcibly removed the drivers and conductors, subjecting them to physical violence and abuse. Passengers, especially women from Azad Kashmir, were verbally harassed with offensive language. In retaliation, transporters from Jhelum Valley forced the closure of dozens of shops owned by individuals from Murree in Hattian Bala, Chinari, and Chakothi.
To restore order, a meeting was convened under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner Jhelum Valley, Syed Ashfaq Gilani. The meeting was attended by SP Jhelum Valley, Mirza Zahid Hussain, Assistant Commissioner Kamran Khan, as well as representatives of local traders and transporters. It was agreed that the issue of transport timings would be resolved by the administration within five days.
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Following this, a second grand jirga was held in Kohala, attended by Chairman Municipal Committee Hattian Bala Sujwal Khan, former Administrator District Council Jhelum Valley Farid Khan, President Anjuman-e-Tajiran Jhelum Valley Faisal Gilani, Member District Council Jhelum Valley Raja Anwar Hussain, Sardar Saeed Zafar Abbasi, Raja Shehzad Khan, Haji Amjad Abbasi, Khalid Abbasi, Jahangir Abbasi, Tariq Mahmood Abbasi, Bilal Hafeez, Rashid Abbasi, and Jaber Abbasi. During the jirga, the agreement reached in Hattian Bala was presented, and both parties agreed to resolve the transport timing issue in writing. It was also decided that no vehicles would operate in place of the disputed ones until the issue was resolved, and traders would not be dragged into future transport-related disputes.
With the resolution of the conflict, public transport between Rawalpindi and Jhelum Valley resumed on Saturday, and forcibly closed shops in Hattian Bala, Chinari, and Chakothi reopened.
The peaceful resolution marks a significant step towards maintaining harmony between transporters and traders in the region.
