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ABBOTTABAD, Dec 01 (APP):The protest of the Awami Huqooq Tehreek Circle Bakot at Kohala Bridge concluded on Monday after successful negotiations with government representatives.
Following the agreement, the long-closed Kashmir Highway was reopened, and the demonstrators dispersed peacefully, returning to their homes.
The demonstrators had blocked the Kashmir Highway for three consecutive days, cutting off the main route between Pakistan and Azad Kashmir.
With the signing of a written agreement, the sit-in ended and traffic flow on both sides of the River Jhelum was restored, allowing thousands of stranded vehicles in Circle Bakot and Azad Kashmir to move again.
The protesters had gathered to demand the restoration and construction of key road networks, including Kohala–Tarch, Boi Road, Bakot–Nathiagali Road, and Patan Kalan–Plahr Road, along with the rehabilitation of earthquake-damaged roads, schools, and hospitals under ERRA projects.
They also called for the formal approval of Tehsil Bakot and the establishment of a major federal government hospital at Kohala.
The protest, organized under the platform of Awami Huqooq Circle Bakot Action Committee and Naujawanan Action Committee, remained peaceful throughout the three-day blockade of Kohala Bridge.
During the talks, Tehsil Abbottabad Chairman Shuja Nabi represented the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government and local MPA Nazir Abbasi, while former MPA Sardar Farid Abbasi represented the federal government. The parties signed a written agreement stating that if work on the agreed-upon development projects does not begin within four months, the protest will be resumed.