Chirala, Azad Kashmir
Chirala (چڑالہ)[ ] is a village and Union Council of Dhirkot Tehsil in the Bagh District of Azad Kashmir. Geography. Chirala is a hilltop village near the confluence of the Mahl River with the Jhelum River in the Bagh District of Azad Kashmir. Beyond the Mahl River to the south is the Poonch District of Azad Kashmir. To the west of the Jhelum River is the Punjab province of Pakistan. Other villages around Chirala are Narakot, Makhyal and Sahlian. History. Prior to 1947, Chirala had a military outpost of the Jammu and Kashmir State Forces. In October 1947 , it was held by two Gorkha companies of the 7th Battalion of the State Forces, commanded by Captains Dalbir Singh and Lachman Dass. At the beginning of the October, the post was attacked by the Poonch rebels and subjected to "continuous mortar and medium machine-gun fire". Reinforcements were sent from Srinagar on 3 October, consisting of two companies of the 8th Battalion under Lt. Col. Maluk Singh . After passing Kohala, the force found that "every ridge, hilltop and track-bend" was held by the rebels offering stiff resistance. The reinforcements eventually reached the post on 7 October and evacuated  the Gorkhas and the refugees taking shelter there. En route to Bagh, the forces again faced rebels along the way. After a stiff fight at Arja, they eventually reached Bagh on 13 October. Abdul Haq Suharwardy states that the rebel resistance was organised by Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan. Chirala thus came into the rebel hands and became part of Azad Kashmir. Etymology. This town is surrounded by the trees of Pine (), thus result into her name چیڑ والہ which means a place with trees of Pine and later it became Chirala (چیڑالہ). Tribes and Groups. The majority of the inhabitants  of UC Chirala are the Abbasi (عباسی،اولادعباس(رض) Other tribes such as the Syed, Awan, Raja Hashmi Qurashi etc.) also inhabit the area in smaller proportion. The main families of Political parties. The main political parties from this area are Muslim Conference, Jamaat e Islami, Peoples Party, PML (N), JUI, and JKLF. Attique Ahmed Khan is the Member of the Legislative Assembly of Azad Kashmir (MLA) representing the area. His opponent was Major(Retired) Latif Khalique. Educational Institutions. Others in the town: How to Reach. From Rawalpindi Islamabad : -Follow the Murree-Kohala road and take left turn from Koahala and then with  the help of Basharat Shaheed Road, you can reach Chirala -Follow the Murree-Kohala road and take right turn from Phagwari to down stream to Jhelum River. Cross the Jhelum river at Khappadar which is part of UC Chirala. - Follow Lehtrar-Kotli Sattyan Road, cross the river Jhelum at Tain Dhalkot and then follow river Jhelum in opposite direction. You will reach Seri Bandi. From Muzaffarabad : - Follow Kohala Road and use Basharat Shaeed Road from Monhasa to reach Chirala