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Azad Jammu and Kashmir
آزاد جموں و کشمیر | |
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Sharda town in Neelum Valley, Azad Kashmir
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 Seal | |
| Anthem:Watan Hamara Azad Kashmir | |
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Azad Jammu and Kashmir is shown in red, the rest of Pakistan is shown in off-white, and the rest of Jammu and Kashmir is hatched, showing area with Pakistan's territorial claim
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Map of Azad Kashmir with 10 districts
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| Coordinates: 33°50′36″N 73°51′05″ECoordinates: 33°50′36″N 73°51′05″E | |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Established | October 24, 1947 (Azad Kashmir Day) |
| Capital | Muzaffarabad |
| Largest city | New Mirpur City |
| Government | |
| • Type | Self-governing[1][2][3] state under Pakistani administration[4][5] |
| • Body | Azad Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly |
| • President | Masood Khan |
| • Prime Minister | Raja Farooq Haider (PML-N) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 13,297 km2 (5,134 sq mi) |
| Population
(2017)
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| • Total | 4.045 million |
| Time zone | UTC+5 (PKT) |
| ISO 3166 code | PK-JK |
| Main languages | |
| Ethnic groups | Gujjar (largest) Sudhan Rajput Jatt Abbasi Mughal Awan Syed Kashmiri others |
| Districts | 10 |
| Towns | 19 |
| Union Councils | 182 |
| Website | www |
Azad Jammu and Kashmir (Urdu: آزاد جموں و کشمیر, romanized: āzād jammū̃ o kaśmīr, lit. 'Free Jammu and Kashmir[2]'), abbreviated as AJK and commonly known as Azad Kashmir, is a nominally self-governing[1][2] jurisdiction administered by Pakistan. The territory lies west of the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir, and was part of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. This is a part of the larger region of Kashmir, which has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947.
Azad Kashmir is part of the greater Kashmir region, which is the subject of a long-running conflict between Pakistan and India. The territory shares a border with Gilgit-Baltistan, together with which it is referred to by the United Nations and other international organisations as "Pakistan administered Kashmir".[note 1] Azad Kashmir is one-sixth of the size of Gilgit-Baltistan.[10] The territory also borders Pakistan's Punjab province to the south and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to the west. To the east, Azad Kashmir is separated from the state of Jammu and Kashmir by the Line of Control, the de facto border between India and Pakistan. Azad Kashmir has a total area of 13,297 square kilometres (5,134 sq mi), and a total population of 4,045,366 as per the 2017 Census.
The territory has a parliamentary form of government modelled after the Westminster system, with its capital located at Muzaffarabad. The President is the constitutional head of state, while the Prime Minister, supported by a Council of Ministers, is the chief executive. The unicameral Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly elects both the Prime Minister and President. The state has its own Supreme Court and a High Court, while the Government of Pakistan's Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistanserves as a link with Azad Kashmir's government, although Azad Kashmir is not represented in the Parliament of Pakistan.
The 2005 earthquake killed 100,000 people and left another three million people displaced, with widespread devastation. Since then, with help from the Government of Pakistan and foreign donors, reconstruction of infrastructure is underway. Azad Kashmir's economy largely depends on agriculture, services, tourism, and remittances sent by members of the British Mirpuri community. Nearly 87% of the households own farms in Azad Kashmir,[11] while the region has a literacy rate of approximately 72% and has the highest school enrollment in Pakistan.[12]
Contents
Geography
The northern part of Azad Jammu and Kashmir encompasses the lower area of the Himalayas, including Jamgarh Peak (4,734 m or 15,531 ft). However, Hari Parbat peak in Neelum Valley is the highest peak in the state. Fertile, green, mountainous valleys are characteristic of Azad Kashmir's geography, making it one of the most beautiful regions of the subcontinent.[4]
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.
History
At the time of the Partition of India in 1947, the British abandoned their suzerainty over the princely states, which were left with the options of joining India or Pakistan or remaining independent. Hari Singh, the maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, wanted his state to remain independent.[13][14] Muslims in Western Jammu province (current day Azad Kashmir) and the Frontier Districts Province (current day Gilgit-Baltistan) had wanted to join Pakistan.[15]
In Spring 1947, an uprising against the Maharaja broke out in Poonch, an area bordering the Rawalpindi division of West Punjab. Maharaja's administration is said to have started levying punitive taxes on the peasantry which provoked a local revolt and the administration resorted to brutal suppression. The area's population, swelled by recently demobilised soldiers following World War II, rebelled against the Maharaja's forces and gained control of almost the entire district. Following this victory, the pro-Pakistan chieftains of the western districts of Muzaffarabad, Poonch and Mirpur proclaimed a provisional Azad Jammu and Kashmir government in Rawalpindi on October 3, 1947.[16][note 2] Ghulam Nabi Gilkar, under the assumed name "Mr. Anwar," issued a proclamation in the name of the provisional government in Muzaffarabad. However, this government quickly fizzled out with the arrest of Anwar in Srinagar.[18] On October 24, a second provisional government of Azad Kashmir was established at Palandriunder the leadership of Sardar Ibrahim Khan.[19]
On October 21, several thousand Pashtun tribesmen from North-West Frontier Province poured into Jammu and Kashmir to liberate it from the Maharaja's rule. They were led by experienced military leaders and were equipped with modern arms. The Maharaja's crumbling forces were unable to withstand the onslaught. The raiders captured the towns of Muzaffarabad and Baramulla, the latter 20 miles (32 km) northwest of the state capital Srinagar. On October 24, the Maharaja requested military assistance from India, which responded that it was unable to help him unless he acceded to India. Accordingly, on October 26, 1947, Maharaja Hari Singh signed an Instrument of Accession, handing over control of defence, external affairs and communications to the Government of India in return for military aid.[20] Indian troops were immediately airlifted into Srinagar.[21] Pakistan intervened subsequently.[14] Fighting ensued between the Indian and Pakistani armies, with the two areas of control more or less stabilised around what is now known as the "Line of Control".[22]
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 which required the withdrawal of the Pakistani Army along with the non-state elements and the subsequent partial withdrawal of the Indian Army.[23] from the parts of Kashmir under their respective control – a withdrawal that never took place.[24] In 1949, a formal cease-fire line separating the Indian- and Pakistani-controlled parts of Kashmir came into effect.
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