MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan — Bus terminals and road checkpoints across Azad Jammu and Kashmir recorded sharply elevated passenger traffic on Tuesday as the Eid al-Adha exodus reached its peak, with tens of thousands of non-local workers, government employees, and students making their way back to home cities and towns in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Sindh.

The movement, which began building over the weekend, accelerated sharply Tuesday morning as offices closed for the holiday and transport operators added additional coaches and shared vehicles on key corridors including the Murree-Muzaffarabad highway and the Mansehra-Kohala route. Pakistan's National Highway Authority deployed additional staff at major toll plazas to manage congestion and reduce bottlenecks on arterial roads feeding into the Hazara Motorway.

Local shopkeepers and bazaar owners in Muzaffarabad and Mirpur reported a visible drop in foot traffic as seasonal residents departed, leaving the towns quieter ahead of the holiday. Community leaders noted the annual Eid migration as one of the largest recurring lifestyle events in the region, reshaping urban density for up to ten days each year. Hotels and guesthouses along the route reported near-full occupancy for Monday night, with guests resuming travel by dawn Tuesday.

Transport companies operating inter-city services between Rawalpindi and Muzaffarabad said bookings had been sold out for days, forcing many travellers to rely on shared wagons or private arrangements. Pakistan Railways also reported higher-than-average ridership on trains serving Lahore, Karachi, and Peshawar as the pre-Eid travel window narrowed. Authorities urged travellers to observe road safety guidelines amid increased highway fatigue risk.

IMD and Pakistan Meteorological Department forecasters noted that the travel surge was occurring amid an ongoing heat advisory for the plains, with temperatures in Punjab and interior Sindh exceeding 43°C. Public health officials issued reminders to travellers about hydration and avoiding peak afternoon travel hours, particularly for families with children and elderly passengers making the journey for the annual family reunion that Eid al-Adha traditionally represents across South Asia.