Azad Kashmir

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Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK)
Capital  • Coordinates	Muzaffarabad  • 34.22° N 73.28° E
Population (2007)  • Density	4,067,856 (estimate)  • 306/km²
Area	13,297 km²
Time zone	PST (UTC+5)
Main language(s)	Kashmiri Urdu Hindko Mirpuri Pahari Gojri Pashto
Status	self-governing state under Pakistani control
• Districts	•  8
• Towns	•  none
• Union Councils	•  182
Established  • Governor/Commissioner  • Chief Minister  • Legislature (seats)	1948  • President Muhammad Zulqarnain Khan  • Sardar Ateeq Ahmed Khan  • Legislative Assembly (49)
Website	Government of Azad Kashmir

The Azad State of Jammu and Kashmir (Urdu: اسلامی جمھوریۃ آزاد کشمیر), usually shortened to Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) or, simply, Azad Kashmir (literally free Kashmir), is the southernmost political entity of the Pakistani-controlled part of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. It borders the present-day Indian-controlled state of Jammu and Kashmir to the east, the Federally Administered Northern Areas (FANA) to the north, and the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan to the west. It covers an area of 13,297 km² (5,134 mi²), with its capital at Muzaffarabad, and has an estimated population of about four million. Azad Kashmir is part of the Kashmir dispute. Pakistan regards the entire area of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir as territory in dispute to be resolved by a plebiscite to be held throughout the former state in order to determine the area's accession to either India or Pakistan. The government of Pakistan has, so far, declined the idea of a third option for such a plebiscite, i.e., a choice of independence for the former state. India abondoned its pledge of a plebiscite in the 1950 and disregarded UN resolution on Kashmir. Financial matters, i.e., budget and tax affairs, are dealt with by the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Council, instead of by Pakistan's Central Board of Revenue. The Azad Jammu and Kashmir Council is a supreme body consisting of 11 members, six from the government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and five from the government of Pakistan. Its chairman/chief executive is the president of Pakistan. Other members of the council are Azad Kashmir's own president and prime minister and a few other AJK ministers. (Note that Azad Jammu and Kashmir has its own president, prime minister, legislative assembly, high court, and official flag.)

Banjosa Rawalakot

History

Map of the Kashmir region

After the partition of India in 1947, Hari Singh, the maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, wished to maintain the status quo. In his view, the only way to achieve that objective was to have Jammu and Kashmir remain independent for a time, despite the claims laid to the state by both India and Pakistan. With the maharaja delaying his decision to join either India or Pakistan, a revolt broke out in the areas of Chitral and Skardu, and the rebellion spread, involving allied tribesmen from Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province. Fearing a defeat of the overwhelmed Kashmiri state forces, the Hindu maharaja sought military help from India--an action which required the provisional accession of Jammu and Kashmir to India. The subsequent Indian defence of the state provoked a military response from Pakistan and signalled the start of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The outcome of the war was not decisive, however, and a ceasefire was called in 1948. The United Nations resolutions that were passed following the ceasefire called for a plebiscite to be held to allow the people of the state to decide whether they wanted to join India or Pakistan. Despite Pakistan's repeated calls to hold a plebiscite under United Nations supervision, however, the dispute has remained unresolved, and Kashmir is still divided into areas of Indian and Pakistani control divided by a ceasefire line, which has more recently been termed the Line of Control. The northern and western parts of Kashmir were subsequently divided by Pakistan into the following political entities:

1. Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) - the narrow southern part, 250 miles (400 km) long, with a width varying from 10 to 40 miles (15 to 65 km).
2. Northern Areas - the much larger area to the north of AJK, 72,496 km² (27,991 mi² ), directly administered by Pakistan as a de facto dependent territory, i.e., a non-self-governing territory.
3. Trans-Karakoram tract - the small region along the northeastern border of the Northern Areas that was ceded by Pakistan to the People's Republic of China in 1963.

Government

Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) is a self-governing state under Pakistani control. It has its own elected president, prime minister, legislature, high court, and official flag. The state is divided into two administrative divisions which, in turn, are composed of a total of eight districts.

Demographics

A proper census has not been taken in recent years. However, the population of Azad Kashmir includes the following tribes:

• Abbasi
• Ansari
• Gujar
• Jarral
• Jat
• Kashmiri
• Malik
• Mughal
• Pashtuns
• Rajput
• Rehmani
• Sudhan
• Tarkhan
• Syyeds

Like Pakistan, Azad Kashmir is predominantly Muslim.

Languages

The dominant language of Azad Kashmir is Northern Hindko, which is sometimes incorrectly called Mirpuri. Its linguistic boundaries extend beyond the borders of Azad Kashmir, however, and, therefore, it is inaccurate to call the language Mirpuri. The Hindko dialects spoken in Azad Kashmir are distantly related to Punjabi but have distinctive features. Pashto is spoken by a sizeable minority of people, due to the large number of migrants from Afghanistan and from the Pashto-speaking areas of Pakistan, who have settled in the Mirpur area.

Geography

Azad Kashmir is cold and mountainous in the north, whereas it has a hot and subtropical climate in the southern Mirpur region. It also has some very scenic mountains and river valleys. The region includes a significant part of the Himalayas, but does not include Nanga Parbat, the world's seventh-highest mountain peak, which is located in the Northern Areas.

Economy

In the latter part of 2006, billions of dollars for development were mooted by international aid agencies for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of earthquake-hit zones in Azad Kashmir, though much of those funds have been lost in bureaucratic channels, leading to delay in help reaching the most needy, and hundreds of people are still living in tents. [1] A land-use plan for Muzaffarabad city was prepared by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

Gallery

LasDana-HajiPir Road Bagh AJ&K	Sheru Dhara, Bagh AJK	Toli pir 1	Banjosa Rawalakot
Kotli Azad Kashmir	Kotli District Azad Kashmir	Mangla Dam, next to Mirpur City, Azad Kashmir	Village in Sarsawa Valley, Azad Kashmir
Typical Homes in Mirpur	Toli pir 6	Rawalakot Valley	Banjosa Rest House and Lake
Rawalakot Bazaar	Bagh City View

See also

• Kashmiriyat - a socio-cultural ethos of religious harmony and Kashmiri consciousness.
• 2005 Kashmir earthquake
• Indian Kashmir barrier
• Kashmir conflict
• Timeline of the Kashmir conflict
• Indo-Pakistan Wars
• Line of Control Kashmir
• Pakistan-administered Kashmir
• Kargil War or the Indo-Pakistani War of 1999
• Trans-Karakoram Tract an area of Kashmir administered by China.
• Aksai Chin an area of Kashmir administered by China.
• List of topics on the land and the people of “Jammu and Kashmir”
• Rajoa

References

1. ^ Official website, Government of Azad Kashmir. "Facts and Figures". Retrieved on 2006-04-19. - Neelum is a recently created district and no figures are available as yet.

External links

Pakistan Portal

• Government of Azad Kashmir
• Tourism site for Azad Kashmir
• Azad Kashmir at the Open Directory Project
• {{{2}}} travel guide from Wikitravel
• tour guide photo gallery maps of Azad Kashmir

This box:  •  • edit Administrative Divisions of Azad Kashmir
Capital	Muzaffarabad
Districts	Bagh | Bhimber | Kotli | Mirpur | Muzaffarabad | Neelum | Poonch | Sudhnati