☰Hajira

The Collaborator by Mirza Waheed (2011). Set on the Pakistani-administered side of the Kashmir Valley during the 1990s insurgency, this novel follows a young man tasked with collecting identity cards from corpses in the hills along the Line of Control. Waheed writes from personal experience of life in the border zone — the landscape, the military presence, and the weight of living in a disputed territory are rendered with unflinching precision. For anyone travelling near Hajira and the Line of Control, it puts a human face on what is otherwise an abstraction.

Curfewed Night by Basharat Peer (2009). A memoir by a Kashmiri journalist who grew up on the Indian-administered side of the Line of Control and returned as an adult to document what the insurgency did to his society. Peer's account of crossing between worlds — educated in India, working internationally, belonging in Kashmir — illuminates why the border dividing places like Hajira from the valley towns on the other side carries such psychological weight. Direct, honest, and essential reading.

India's Wars: A Military History, 1947–1971 by Arjun Subramaniam (2016). Dry in title but illuminating in content, this account of the wars that shaped the Line of Control in Poonch District — the 1947–48 war, the 1965 war, the 1971 conflict — makes sense of the checkpoints and military geography a visitor encounters near Hajira. The Poonch sector features specifically, and understanding why this particular stretch of border runs where it does changes how you look at the hills.

The roads out of Hajira pass through some of the finest hill scenery in Poonch District. Rawalakot, the district headquarters about 45 kilometres away, is the natural hub — a town with more facilities, a bustling bazaar, and good road connections onward. From Rawalakot, Banjosa Lake is a short drive through pine forest to a peaceful artificial lake at nearly 2,000 metres, popular with families and picnickers. Toli Pir is further still, a hill station at around 3,000 metres with sweeping views across the Kashmir ranges — the summit is noticeably cooler than the valleys and the panoramas on clear days are exceptional.

Hajira is small enough to walk from one end to the other in twenty minutes. The bazaar, the main road, and the outlying neighbourhoods are all accessible on foot within the town itself.

For excursions into the surrounding hills — Devi Gali, the forest tracks above town, or the road toward the Line of Control — you will need a vehicle. Shared wagons run to Rawalakot throughout the day, departing from near the bazaar when they are full; the journey takes one and a half to two hours. Hiring a private car or motorcycle from the bazaar is the practical way to reach Devi Gali or to explore the quieter hill roads at your own pace. There is no formal taxi service — ask at the bazaar or your guesthouse for someone who hires out vehicles. Fuel is available in Hajira; carry a reserve if you are heading into the hills.

Hajira is connected by road to Rawalakot, the district headquarters of Poonch, about 45 kilometres to the northwest. The road is paved but winding, following the ridges and valleys of Azad Kashmir. Journey time by shared wagon or bus is around one and a half to two hours.

From Rawalpindi or Islamabad, the standard approach is to travel first to Rawalakot (roughly three hours via Kohala bridge or Azad Pattan) and then continue by local transport to Hajira. Through-routes from Rawalpindi to Hajira exist but are infrequent. Alternatively, Khaigala, on the road between Hajira and Rawalakot, can serve as an intermediate stop.

There is no rail service to Azad Kashmir. Travelling from Muzaffarabad, the capital, takes considerably longer — allow a full day for the journey.

Hajira sits in a forested pocket of Poonch District close to the Line of Control, and the pleasures here are essentially those of the landscape — pine-covered hills, clear air, and the quiet of a town that sees very few foreign visitors. The bazaar is worth a wander, and the road toward Devi Gali opens up into excellent hill country.

Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) are the best times to visit Hajira. Temperatures are mild — typically 10–20°C — the hills are green, and the roads are reliably open. Spring brings wildflowers to the forest clearings; autumn clears the haze that can obscure the mountain views in summer.

Summer (June to August) is warm rather than hot at this elevation, and the area is at its most lush. Domestic tourists from the Punjab plains come up during the school holidays, so accommodation in the wider Poonch district is in greater demand. Winter (December to February) brings cold temperatures and the possibility of snow, which can close the higher roads. Hajira itself rarely has the severe snowfall that affects higher hill stations like Toli Pir, but travel can become unpredictable.

There are no major festivals specific to Hajira. The Islamic calendar governs the rhythm of religious observance across Azad Kashmir; Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha bring family gatherings and a general quietening of commerce.