Azad Kashmir

Azad Jammu and Kashmir Āzād Jammū̃ o Kaśmīr
Administered by Pakistan as a self-administrative territory
Top: Union Councils		182
Website	www.ajk.gov.pk

Azad Jammu and Kashmir (

The territory has a parliamentary form of government modelled after the

Soon afterward, Sardar Ibrahim escaped to Pakistan and led the Poonch rebellion from there, with the assistance of Pakistan's prime minister Liaquat Ali Khan and other officials. Liaquat Ali Khan appointed a committee headed by Mian Iftikharuddin to draft a "declaration of freedom".^[19] On 4 October, an Azad Kashmir provisional government was declared in Lahore with Ghulam Nabi Gilkar as president under the assumed name "Mr. Anwar" and Sardar Ibrahim as the prime minister. Gilkar travelled to Srinagar and was arrested by the maharaja's government. Pakistani officials subsequently appointed Sardar Ibrahim as the president of the provisional government.^{[20][note 1]}

At the time of the

India later approached the United Nations, asking it to resolve the dispute, and resolutions were passed in favour of the holding of a plebiscite with regard to Kashmir's future. However, no such plebiscite has ever been held on either side, since there was a precondition that required the withdrawal of the Pakistani army along with the non-state elements and the subsequent partial withdrawal of the Indian army[32] from the parts of Kashmir under their respective control – a withdrawal that never took place.^[33] In 1949, a formal cease-fire line separating the Indian- and Pakistani-controlled parts of Kashmir came into effect.

Following the 1949 cease-fire agreement with India, the government of Pakistan divided the northern and western parts of Kashmir that it controlled at the time of the cease-fire into the following two separately controlled political entities:

• Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) – the narrow, southern part, 400 km (250 mi) long, with a width varying from 15 to 65 km (10 to 40 mi).
• Federally Administered Northern Areas
  (FANA) – the much larger political entity to the north of AJK with an area of 72,496 km² (27,991 sq mi).

In 1955, the Poonch uprising broke out. It was largely concentrated in areas of Rawalakot as well as the rest of Poonch Division. It ended in 1956.^[34]

In 1970, Yahya Khan's military administration promulgated a 'rudimentary' constitution, 'The Azad Jammu and Kashmir Government Act, 1970' which provided AJK a presidential system, an elected legislative assembly and 'considerable' autonomy. Snedden refers to it as having "delivered the most autonomy ever enjoyed by this region – or by any region in J&K." The central government only controlling foreign affairs, defence and currency, while the MKA was sidelined.^[35]: 121

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, then Prime-Minister of Pakistan, with some local support imposed the 'Azad Jammu and Kashmir Interim Constitution Act, 1974’ (Interim till the Kashmir dispute was resolved with India). It allowed AJK a directly elected AJK Legislative Assembly, and a smaller indirectly elected Azad Jammu and Kashmir Council in Islamabad. This arrangement reduced the power of the MKA, however Snedden referred to it as a "diminution."^{[35]: 121–122}

Danish Khan in The Friday Times characterizes this development as providing "an avenue for citizens to draw attention from political elites towards immediate socio-economic and developmental concerns such as access to basic infrastructure and public goods," further stating "while public sector investments in infrastructure and social sectors have shown relative improvements over the years, the overarching narrative in the political sphere, spanning across party lines, remains heavily focused on the Jammu & Kashmir conflict rather than indigenous socio-economic development."^[36]

The Constitution provides Kashmir its own President, Prime-Minister, High Court, Supreme Court, Auditor General and Chief Election Commissioner as well.^[37] The 13th Amendment to the AJK Constitution, passed in Muzaffarabad empowered the AJK government, increased the powers of the elected assembly, granted Azad Kashmir greater financial and administrative powers and sought to make the federal territory more autonomous. The word "Act" was also deleted from the Constitution.^[38]

At one time under Pakistani control, Kashmir's Shaksgam tract, a small region along the northeastern border of Gilgit–Baltistan, was provisionally ceded by Pakistan to the People's Republic of China in 1963 which helped in resolving China-Pakistan boundary dispute and now the forms part of China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

In 1972, the then current border between the Indian and Pakistani controlled parts of Kashmir was designated as the "Line of Control". This line has remained unchanged^[39] since the 1972 Simla Agreement, which bound the two countries "to settle their differences by peaceful means through bilateral negotiations". Some political experts claim that, in view of that pact, the only solution to the issue is mutual negotiation between the two countries without involving a third party such as the United Nation.^[40] The 1974 Interim Constitution Act was passed by the 48-member Azad Jammu and Kashmir unicameral assembly.^[41]

In April 1997, the Nawaz Sharif government refused to grant constitutional status to Azad Jammu and Kashmir stating that "'The grant of constitutional rights to these people will amount to unilateral annexation of these areas."^[42]

The northern part of Azad Jammu and Kashmir encompasses the lower area of the

The region receives rainfall in both the winter and the summer. Muzaffarabad and Pattan are among the wettest areas of Pakistan. Throughout most of the region, the average rainfall exceeds 1400 mm, with the highest average rainfall occurring near Muzaffarabad (around 1800 mm). During the summer season, monsoon floods of the rivers Jhelum and Leepa are common due to extreme rains and snow melting.

The southern parts of Azad Kashmir, including the Bhimber, Mirpur, and Kotli districts, have extremely hot weather in the summer and moderate cold weather in the winter. They receive rain mostly in monsoon weather.^{[citation needed]}

In the central and northern parts of the state, the weather remains moderately hot in the summer and cold and chilly in the winter. Snowfall also occurs there in December and January.^{[citation needed]}

The region receives rainfall in both the winter and the summer. Muzaffarabad and Pattan are among the wettest areas of the state, but they don't receive snow. Throughout most of the region, the average rainfall exceeds 1400 mm, with the highest average rainfall occurring near Muzaffarabad (around 1800 mm). During summer, monsoon floods of the Jhelum and Leepa rivers are common, due to high rainfall and melting snow.^{[citation needed]}

Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) is nominally a self-governing state,^[43] but ever since the 1949 ceasefire between Indian and Pakistani forces, Pakistan has exercised control over the state without incorporating it into Pakistan.^[2][44] Azad Kashmir has its own elected president, prime minister, legislative assembly, high court (with Azam Khan as its present chief justice), and official flag.^[45]

Azad Kashmir's budget and tax affairs, are dealt with by the

Azad Kashmir is home to a vibrant civil society. One of the organizations active in the territory and inside Pakistan is YFK-International Kashmir Lobby Group, an NGO that seeks better India-Pakistan relations through conflict resolution in Kashmir.

According to the project report by the Asian Development Bank, the bank has set out development goals for Azad Kashmir in the areas of health, education, nutrition, and social development. The whole project is estimated to cost US$76 million.^[51] Germany, between 2006 and 2014, has also donated $38 million towards the AJK Health Infrastructure Programme.^[52]

The state is administratively divided into three

The population of Azad Kashmir, according to the preliminary results of

Religious groups in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (Jammu & Kashmir Princely State era)

Religious group	1891[58]		1901[59]		1911[60]		1921[61]		1931[62]		1941[63]
	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%
Islam	659,265	86.87%	747,426	85.62%	749,945	87.76%	780,607	88.02%	850,135	87.68%	939,460	87.54%
Hinduism	92,639	12.21%	108,331	12.41%	84,130	9.85%	81,733	9.22%	87,554	9.03%	93,559	8.72%
Sikhism	6,918	0.91%	17,132	1.96%	20,391	2.39%	24,491	2.76%	31,709	3.27%	39,910	3.72%
Jainism	64	0.01%	0	0%	8	0%	6	0%	11	0%	0	0%
Christianity	21	0%	18	0%	55	0.01%	24	0%	168	0.02%	136	0.01%
Buddhism	0	0%	0	0%	2	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%
Zoroastrianism	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	1	0%	0	0%
Tribal	0	0%	—	—	—	—	—	—	0	0%	0	0%
Judaism	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	0	0%
Others	0	0%	8	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	89	0.01%
Total population	758,907	100%	872,915	100%	854,531	100%	886,861	100%	969,578	100%	1,073,154	100%
Note1: 1891 & 1901 figures taken from Azad Jammu and Kashmir .

Ethnic groups

See also:

Azad Kashmiri diaspora

The main communities living in this region are:[71]

• Gujjars – They are an agricultural tribe and are estimated to be the largest community living in the ten districts of Azad Kashmir.^[71][72][73] They are estimated to number around 800,000.^[74]
• Poonch, Sudhanoti, Bagh, and Kotli in Azad Kashmir. They allegedly originated from Pashtun areas.^[75][71][72] Their population numbers over 500,000, and together with the Rajputs they are the source of most of Azad Kashmir's political class.^[74]

• Jats – They are one of the larger communities of AJK and primarily inhabit the districts of Mirpur, Bhimber, and Kotli. A large Mirpuri population lives in the U.K. and it is estimated that more people of Mirpuri origins are now residing in the U.K. than in the Mirpur district, which retains strong ties with the U.K.^[71][76] Mirpuri Jats number approximately 300 000.^[74]
• Rajputs – They are spread across the territory, and they number a little under 500,000. Together with the Sudhans, they are the source of most of Azad Kashmir's political class.^[74]
• Mughals – Largely located in the Bagh and Muzaffarabad districts.^[73]
• Awans – A clan with significant numbers in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, living mainly in the Bagh, Poonch, Hattian Bala, and Muzaffarabad. Awans also reside in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in large numbers.^[71][72][73]
• Dhund – They are a large clan in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and live mostly in the Bagh, Hattian Bala, and Muzaffarabad districts. They also inhabit Abbottabad and upper Potohar Punjab in large numbers.^[71][72][73]
• Neelam Valley and the Leepa Valley (see Kashmiris in Azad Kashmir).^[77]

The official language of Azad Kashmir is

There are speakers of Dogri in the southernmost district of Bhimber, where they are estimated to represent almost a third of the district's population.^[78] In the northernmost district of Neelam, there are small communities of speakers of several other languages. Shina, which like Kashmiri belongs to the broad Dardic group, is present in two distinct varieties spoken altogether in three villages. Pashto, of the Iranian subgroup and the majority language in the neighbouring province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is spoken in two villages, both situated on the Line of Control. The endangered Kundal Shahi is native to the eponymous village and it is the only language not found outside Azad Kashmir.^[89]

As of 2021, GDP of Azad Jammu and Kashmir was estimated to be 10 billion pounds, giving per capita an income of £5604.^[90] Historically the economy of Azad Kashmir has been agricultural which meant that land was the main source or mean of production. This means that all food for immediate and long-term consumption was produced from the land. The produce included various crops, fruits, vegetables, etc. The land was also the source of other livelihood necessities such as wood, fuel, grazing for animals which then turned into dairy products. Because of this land was also the main source of revenue for the governments whose primary purpose for centuries was to accumulate revenue.^[91]

Agriculture is a major part of Azad Kashmir's economy. Low-lying areas that have high populations grow crops like barley, mangoes, millet, corn (maize), and wheat, and also raise cattle. In the elevated areas that are less populated and more spread out, forestry, corn, and livestock are the main sources of income. There are mineral and marble resources in Azad Kashmir close to Mirpur and Muzaffarabad. There are also graphite deposits at Mohriwali. There are also reservoirs of low-grade coal, chalk, bauxite, and zircon. Local household industries produce carved wooden objects, textiles, and dhurrie carpets.^[2] There is also an arts and crafts industry that produces such cultural goods as namdas, shawls, pashmina, pherans, Papier-mâché, basketry copper, rugs, wood carving, silk and woolen clothing, patto, carpets, namda gubba, and silverware. Agricultural goods produced in the region include mushrooms, honey, walnuts, apples, cherries, medicinal herbs and plants, resin, deodar, kail, chir, fir, maple, and ash timber.^[2][44][92]

The migration to the UK was accelerated and by the completion of

• Pir Chinassi, Patika, Subri Lake and Awan Patti
  .
• The
  Kel, Arang Kel and Taobat
  .
• Sudhanoti
  is one of the ten districts of Azad Kashmir in Pakistan. Sudhanoti is located 90 km (56 mi) away from Islamabad, the Capital of Pakistan. It is connected with Rawalpindi and Islamabad through Azad Pattan road.
• Toli Pir
  .
• Panjal Mastan National Park, and Las Danna
  .
• The Leepa Valley is located 105 km (65 mi) southeast of Muzaffarabad. It is the most charming and scenic place for tourists in Azad Kashmir.
• New Mirpur City is the headquarters of Mirpur District. The main tourist attractions near New Mirpur City are the Mangla Lake and Ramkot Fort
  .

Education

The literacy rate in Azad Kashmir was 62% in 2004, higher than in any other region of Pakistan.^[95] The literacy rate of Azad Kashmir was 76.60% in 2018.^[96] It remained at 79.80% in 2019. According to the 2020–2021 census, the literacy rate in Azad Kashmir was 91.34%.^[97] However, only 2.2% were graduates, compared to the average of 2.9% for Pakistan.^[98]

Universities

The following is a list of universities recognised by

Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC):^[99]

University	Location(s)	Established	Type	Specialization	Website
Mirpur University of Science and Technology, Mirpur	Mirpur	1980 (2008)*	Public	Engineering & Technology	[1]
University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir	Muzaffarabad	1980	Public	General	[2]
University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (Neelam Campus)	Neelum	2013	Public	General	[3]
University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (Jhelum Valley Campus)	Jhelum Valley District	2013	Public	General	[4]
Al-Khair University	Bhimber	1994 (2011*)	Private	General	[5]
Mohi-ud-Din Islamic University	Nerian Sharif	2000	Private	General	[6]
University of Poonch (Rawlakot Campus)	Rawalakot	1980 (2012)*	Public	General	[7] Archived 5 August 2021 at the Wayback Machine
University of Poonch (SM Campus, Mong, Sudhnoti District)	Sudhnoti District	2014	Public	General	[8] Archived 5 August 2021 at the Wayback Machine
University of Poonch (Kahuta Campus, Haveli District)	Haveli District	2015	Public	General	[9] Archived 5 August 2021 at the Wayback Machine
Women University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Bagh	Bagh	2013	Public	General	[10]
University of Management Sciences and Information Technology	Kotli	2014	Public	General	[11]
Mirpur University of Science and Technology (Bhimber Campus)	Bhimber	2013	Public	Science & Humanities	[12]

* Granted university status.

Cadet College Pallandri

• Cadet College Palandri is situated about 100 km (62 mi) from Islamabad
• Cadet College Muzzaffarabad
• Cadet College Mirpur

Medical colleges

The following is a list of undergraduate medical institutions recognised by Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) as of 2013^[update].^[100]

• Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Medical College in Mirpur
• Muzafarabad
• Poonch Medical College in Rawalakot

Private medical colleges

Sports

Football, cricket, and volleyball are very popular in Azad Kashmir. Many tournaments are also held throughout the year and in the holy month of

Ramazan

, night-time flood-lit tournaments are also organised.

Azad Kashmir has its own T20 tournament called the Kashmir Premier League, which started in 2021.

New Mirpur City has a cricket stadium (Quaid-e-Azam Stadium) which has been taken over by the Pakistan Cricket Board for renovation to bring it up to the international standards. There is also a cricket stadium in Muzaffarabad with a capacity of 8,000 people. This stadium has hosted 8 matches of the Inter-District Under 19 Tournament 2013.

There are also registered football clubs:

• Pilot Football Club
• Youth Football Club
• Kashmir National FC
• Azad Super FC

Culture

Main article: Culture of Kashmir

Tourism

These paragraphs are an excerpt from Tourism in Azad Kashmir.[edit]

The northern part of Azad Jammu and Kashmir encompasses the lower part of the

Neelum Valley is the highest peak in the state.^[101] Fertile, green, mountainous valleys are characteristic of Azad Kashmir's geography, making it one of the most beautiful regions on the subcontinent.^[102]

The southern parts of Azad Kashmir including Bhimber, Mirpur and Kotli districts has extremely hot weather in summers and moderate cold weather in winters. It receives rains mostly in monsoon weather.

In the central and northern parts of state weather remains moderate hot in summers and very cold and chilly in winter. Snow fall also occurs there in December and January.

This region receives rainfall in both winters and summers. Muzaffarabad and Pattan are among the wettest areas of the state. Throughout most of the region, the average rainfall exceeds 1400 mm, with the highest average rainfall occurring near Muzaffarabad (around 1800 mm). During summer, monsoon floods of the Jhelum and Leepa river are common, due to high rainfall and melting snow.

Notable people

• Nisaran Abbasi, politician
• Mujahida Hussain Bibi, recipient of Sitara-e-Jurat.
• Maqbool Hussain, recipient of Sitara-e-Jurat.
• Saif Ali Janjua, recipient of Nishan-e-Haider.
• Aziz Khan, 11th Chairman Joint Chief of Staff Committee (CJCSC) of Pakistan Armed Forces.
• 1947 Poonch Rebellion
  .
• Muhammad Hayyat Khan, former President of Azad Kashmir.^[103]
• Sardar Ibrahim Khan, first and longest-serving President of Azad Kashmir.
• Masood Khan, former President of Azad Kashmir and current Pakistani ambassador to the United States.
• Pakistani national cricket team
  .
• Birmingham Perry Barr
  .
• Irfan Sabir, Canadian politician and NDP MLA for Calgary-Bhullar-McCall.
• Mohammad Yasin, British politician and Labour MP for Bedford.

See also

• Northern Pakistan
• 1941 Census of Jammu and Kashmir
• Kashmir conflict
• Tourism in Azad Kashmir
• List of cultural heritage sites in Azad Kashmir

Notes

1. Akbar Khan.^[21]
2. ^ Officially, the Mirpur and Poonch districts were in the Jammu province of the state and Muzaffarabad was in the Kashmir province. All three provinces spoke languages related to Punjabi, not the Kashmiri language spoken in the Kashmir Valley.^[26]
3. ^ Snedden 2013, p. 176: On p. 29, the census report states that Urdu is the official language of the government of Azad Kashmir, with Kashmiri, Pahari, Gojri, Punjabi, Kohistani, Pushto, and Sheena 'frequently spoken in Azad Kashmir'. Yet, when surveyed about their 'mother tongue', Azad Kashmiris' choices were limited to selecting from Pakistan's major languages: Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pushto, Balochi, Saraiki, and 'others'; not surprisingly, 2.18 million of Azad Kashmir's 2.97 million people chose 'others'.
4. ^ Hallberg & O'Leary (1992, p. 96) report two rough estimates for the total population of Gujari speakers in Azad Kashmir: 200,000 and 700,000, both from the 1980s.

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Sources

• Akhtar, Raja Nasim; Rehman, Khawaja A. (2007). "The Languages of the Neelam Valley". Kashmir Journal of Language Research. 10 (1): 65–84.
  ISSN 1028-6640
  .
• Behera, Navnita Chadha (2007), Demystifying Kashmir, Pearson Education India,
  ISBN 978-8131708460
• ISBN 0-674-01173-2
  .
• Ganai, Muhammad Yousuf (1999), "Dogra Raj and the Struggle for Freedom in Kashmir (1932–1947)", University (PhD thesis), University of Kashmir,
  hdl:10603/33268
  – via Shodhganga
• Hallberg, Calinda E.; O'Leary, Clare F. (1992). "Dialect Variation and Multilingualism among Gujars of Pakistan". In O'Leary, Clare F.; Rensch, Calvin R.; Hallberg, Calinda E. (eds.). Hindko and Gujari. Sociolinguistic Survey of Northern Pakistan. Islamabad: National Institute of Pakistan Studies, Quaid-i-Azam University and Summer Institute of Linguistics. pp. 91–196.
  ISBN 969-8023-13-5
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• Kapoor, Sindhu (2014), "Politics of Protests in Jammu and Kashmir from 1925 to 1951", University (PhD thesis), University of Jammu,
  hdl:10603/78307
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• Lothers, Michael; Lothers, Laura (2010). Pahari and Pothwari: a sociolinguistic survey (Report). SIL Electronic Survey Reports. Vol. 2010–012.
• ISBN 978-0-19-577692-8
  .
• ISBN 978-0-19-579644-5
  .
• Saraf, Muhammad Yusuf (2015) [first published 1977 by Ferozsons], Kashmiris Fight for Freedom, Volume 1, Mirpur: National Institute Kashmir Studies
  • Saraf, Muhammad Yusuf (1977), Kashmiris Fight for Freedom, Volume 1, Ferozsons
• Saraf, Muhammad Yusuf (2015) [first published 1979 by Ferozsons], Kashmiris Fight for Freedom, Volume 2, Mirpur: National Institute Kashmir Studies
• ISBN 978-9350298985
  .

Further reading

• Mathur, Shubh (2008). "Srinagar-Muzaffarabad-New York: A Kashmiri Family's Exile". In Roy, Anjali Gera; Bhatia, Nandi (eds.). Partitioned Lives: Narratives of Home, Displacement and Resettlement. Pearson Education India.
  ISBN 978-9332506206
  .
• Schoefield, Victoria (2003) [First published in 2000]. Kashmir in Conflict. London and New York: I. B. Taurus & Co.
  ISBN 1860648983
  .

External links

• Official website
• Planning & Development Department AJ&K AJ&K Planning and Development Department
• AJ&K Tourism & Archaeology Department Archived 16 October 2019 at the Wayback Machine Tourism in Azad Kashmir