 | ||
Location Muzaffarabad District, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan Restored by AJK Tourism and Archeology Department | ||
Quaid-e-Azam tourist lodge, Barsala, is a historic tourist lodge located in Kohala, Muzaffarabad District, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. The tourist point is also known as Quaid-e-Azam Memorial Rest House, named after the first Pakistani governor-general, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, as it hosted him in 1944. The tourist spot is also known as Dak Bungalow.
Contents
Location
The lodge serves as a popular tourist attraction. It is located at a distance of 100 km (62 mi) from Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, and 40 km (25 mi) from Muree. On the way to Muzaffarabad, the Azad Kashmir capital, it is only 3 km (2 mi) from the Kohala Bridge, that serves as the entry point to Azad Kashmir.
Historical significance
The lodge was first built during the Dogra rule by the Hindu Dogra dynasty. The founder of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, and his sister Madar-e-Millat Fatima Jinnah, stayed here on 25 July 1944 when they were returning from Srinagar on their way to Rawalpindi. A wall plaque was unveiled by the then Azad Kashmir Prime Minister Sardar Sikandar Hayat Khan on 14 August 2001, commemorating the visit of Jinnah. The chair used by Jinnah has been preserved and can be seen in the lodge. Barsala was captured by the Pakistan Army under Major General Iftikhar Janjua during the Battle of Chamb against the Indian Army's 10 Division led by Major General Jaswant Singh on 6 December 1971.
2005 earthquake
On 8 October 2005, the historic lodge was damaged by a 7.6 MW earthquake with epicenter at Muzaffarabad. Efforts were undertaken by the Government of Azad Kashmir to restore the heritage site, and the AJK Tourism and Archeology Department repaired the tourist point. It now has seven rooms for tourists.