The Hattian Bala District ( ur, ) is one of the ten districts of

Azad Kashmir Azad Jammu and Kashmir (; ), abbreviated as AJK and colloquially referred to as simply Azad Kashmir, is a region administered by Pakistan as a nominally self-governing entitySee: * * * and constituting the western portion of the larger Ka ...

, Pakistan. The district's headquarters is the town of

Hattian Bala Hattian Bala ( ur, ) is a town in Hattian Bala District of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. It is the headquarters of district and tehsil Hattian Bala. Hattian Bala is located from Muzaffarabad city on the bank of Jhelum River. See also *Awan Patti *M ...

. Prior to 2009, the Hattian Bala District was a

tehsil A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...

within

Muzaffarabad District The Muzaffarabad District ( ur, ) is one of the 10 districts of Pakistan's dependent territory of Azad Kashmir. The district is located on the banks of the Jhelum River, Jhelum and Neelum River, Neelum rivers and is very hilly. The total area of ...

History

Before the establishment of

in 1947, what is now the Hattian Bala District was the part of the Uri Tehsil of the

Baramulla District Baramulla district or Varmul (in Kashmiri) is one of the 20 districts in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Baramulla town is the administrative headquarters of this district. The district covered an area of in 2001, but it w ...

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...

. Following the ceasefire of the first war between India and Pakistan, Hattian Bala became part of the

and remained so until 2009. During Pakistan's coalition government of

Sardar Muhammad Yaqoob Khan Sardar Muhammad Yaqoob Khan (born 1953) was elected the 22nd president of Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Pakistan on 25 August 2011. Sardar Muhammad Yaqoob Khan was a business tycoon before a politician he owns a trading company, hotels, towers, housin ...

, Hattian Bala was made a district in July 2009.

Geography

The Hattian Bala District is bounded on the north and east by the Kupwara District and the

of Indian-administered

, on the south by the

Bagh District Bagh District ( ur, ) is one of the ten districts of Pakistan's territory of Azad Kashmir. Previously part of Poonch District, it was established as a separate district in 1988. The Bagh District is bounded on the north by the Muzaffarabad Di ...

, and on the west by the

. The Hattian Bala District has a population of 230,529.

Economy

The rural urban ratio is 90:10. The majority of the rural population depend on

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animals ...

, and

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. Th ...

for subsistence. Many people work or are settled abroad in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, and they support their families who they have left behind. The Hattian Bala District is primarily a hilly and mountainous region with stretches of plains along the

Jehlum River The Jhelum River (/dʒʰeːləm/) is a river in the northern Indian subcontinent. It originates at Verinag and flows through the Indian administered territory of Jammu and Kashmir, to the Pakistani-administered territory of Kashmir, and then ...

, which enters the district at the LOC point at Chakothi and continues northwest through the Jehlum Valley. Due to its fast-flowing rivers, the Hattian Bala District has great hydroelectric potential. Hydroelectric power stations are located at

Kathai Kathai is a village and union council (an administrative subdivision) of Mansehra District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It lies in an area affected by the 2005 Kashmir earthquake The 2005 Kashmir earthquake occurred at on 8 O ...

, Leepa, and Sharian. The district's natural environment includes the valleys of Leepa, Khalana Chham,

Ghail Qil ( fa, قيل, also Romanized as Qīl; also known as Ghail, Gheyl, Ghīl, Gīl, and Kheyl) is a village in Hengam Rural District, Shahab District, Qeshm County, Hormozgan Province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of I ...

, Saina Daman Chamm, Dhani Shahdarrah, Charoi, Chinari, Jaskool, Chonoian, Bharyan (Lower Chonoian), and Chakar Salmia.

Languages

The main languages of the district are Pahari (native to about half of the population),

Gujari Gojri (, ), also known as Gujari, Gujri, Gojari, or Gojri, is a variety of Rajasthani spoken by the Gurjars and other tribes of India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. In India, the language is mainly spoken in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, ...

(spoken by about a third), and

Kashmiri Kashmiri may refer to: * People or things related to the Kashmir Valley or the broader region of Kashmir * Kashmiris, an ethnic group native to the Kashmir Valley * Kashmiri language, their language People with the name * Kashmiri Saikia Baruah ...

(native to one out of six inhabitants).

Administrative divisions

The Hattian Bala District consists of three

s: *

Chikkar Chikar ( ur, ) is a small town and hill station in Jhelum valley District of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. It is located from Muzaffarabad Muzaffarabad (; ur, ) is the capital and largest city of Azad Kashmir, and the 60th largest in Paki ...

Tehsil *

Tehsil * Leepa Tehsil The district council of Hattian Bala has 12 union councils (consisting of eight UCs from Constituency No. 5 and four UCs from Constituency No. 6), one municipal committee at Hattian, and one town committee at Chikar. The rural development department has three centers: Hattian, Leepa, and Chikar. The Assistant Director of LG&RDD Hattian is the administrative officer for rural development, with two project managers at each center.

Education

According to the Alif Ailaan Pakistan District Education Rankings 2015, the Hattian Bala District is ranked 28 out of 148 districts in terms of education. For facilities and infrastructure, the district is ranked 112 out of 148. The district has few colleges, so many people in the district attend the Allama Iqbal Open University or the AJK University at its main Muzaffarabad campus, at its Neelum campus, or at the recently inaugurated Hattian Bala campus, which has faculties for the teaching of the English Language, computer science, and business administration. Two areas in the district are renowned for education, having high literacy rates: Leepa Valley and the village of Pahal, located near the LOC. The district also has some private institutions, such as the READ Foundation Science College Hattian Bala, the READ Foundation Science College Chenari, and the Smart School Hattian Bala.

Notable people

Raja Farooq Haider Khan belongs from Salmia Hattian bala. He remained PM of AJK from 2016 to 2021. His father Raja Haider khan was also a Nobel man of Chikar Hattian bala.Sahibzada Muhammad Ishaq Zaffar former PPP president AJK also belonged from Bani Hafiz a village of Hattian Bala.The mausoleum of Sikandar Shah kazmi is located in Hattian bala who was a spiritual person his urs is held every year in Hattian Bala.Diwan Ali Khan chughtai is minister of education Schools AJK , he belongs from Hattian Bala..His father Ali Khan Chughtai was also politician and remained minister.

References

{{Administrative units of Azad Kashmir Districts of Azad Kashmir