Azad Kashmir

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This article details only the area administered by Pakistan. For the full region see Kashmir

Azad Kashmir
Image:Flag of Azad Kashmir.svg
Capital • Coordinates	Muzaffarabad • 34.22° N 74.39° E
Population (2006 estimate)<ref name="pop_est">(English) Stefan Helders, World Gazetteer. "Pakistan: Administrative Divisions (population and area)". Retrieved on 2006-04-19.</ref> • Density	3,965,999 • 298 people/km²
Area<ref name="area">(English) Official website, Government of Azad Kashmir. "Introduction:". Retrieved on 2006-04-19.</ref>	13,297 km²
Time zone	PST (UTC +5)
Main language(s)	Kashmiri Urdu Hindko Potwar Punjabi Pashto
Status	Autonomous State (Disputed territory)
• Divisions	• 2
• Districts	• 8
• Tehsils	• 19
• Union Councils	• 182
Established • President • Prime Minister • Legislative Assembly	1948 • Raja Muhammad Zulqarnain Khan • Sardar Ateeq Ahmed Khan • 49
Website	Gov't of Azad Kashmir

Azad Kashmir (Urdu: آزاد کشمیر‎, English: Free Kashmir), is part of the Pakistani administered section of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, along with the Northern Areas; its official name is Azad Jammu and Kashmir. It covers an area of 13,300 km² (5,135 mi²), with its capital at Muzaffarabad, and has an estimated population of almost 4 million people.

1 History
2 Government
3 Demographics
4 Geography
5 Economy
6 Pictures
7 See also
8 References
9 External links

[edit] History

After the partition of India in 1947, the king of Jammu and Kashmir (Modern Day Indian Jammu and Kashmir + Azad Kashmir + Northern Areas + Aksai Chin) decided to let Jammu-Kashmir be an independent state. This was soon followed by a tribal invasion of Kashmir backed by regular Pakistani troops. Fearing the might of Pakistani Forces, Kashmir sought military help from India and in-turn decided to accede with India. India accepted this and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 was fought to send Pakistani forces back. However, the war was not decisively complete and a cease fire was called in 1948. The dispute has not yet been solved and the part of Kashmir to the west of that Cease-Fire Line or the Line of Control continues to be administered by Pakistan. This Western Kashmir was subsequently divided the into following provinces/regions by Pakistan:-

Azad Kashmir - The narrow Southern part - 250 miles (400 km) in length with the width varying from 10 to 40 miles (15 to 65 km), 5,135 mi² (13,300 km²)
Northern Areas - A much larger area, 27,991 mi² (72,496 km²), incorporated into Pakistan and administered as a de facto dependency
Trans-Karakoram Tract - A small region at the Northern frontier of Gilgit-Baltistan agency, ceded to the People's Republic of China by Pakistan in 1963.

[edit] Government

Image:Toli pir 6 Rawalakot AJK.JPG

Azad Kashmir is nominally autonomous, with its own elected President, Prime Minister, Legislature, and High Court. The state is divided into two administrative divisions which in turn are composed of seven districts.


Division	District	Area (km²)
Mirpur	Bhimber	1,516
	Kotli	1,862
	Mirpur	1,010
Muzaffarabad	Bagh	1,368
	Muzaffarabad	6,117
	Neelum<ref name="explain">Note: Neelum is a recently created district and no figures are available yet. Refer to the link below. </ref> <ref name="neelum">(English) Official website, Government of Azad Kashmir. "Facts and Figures". Retrieved on 2006-04-19.</ref>
Poonch Rawalakot	Poonch	855
	Rawalakot
	Sudhnati	569
Azad Kashmir	7 districts	13,297

[edit] Demographics

Although a proper census has not been taken in recent years, the best estimates conclude that the Azad Kashmir region has approximately 4 million inhabitants of which 12% is urban. The population of Azad Kashmir includes the Potwari (whose language includes the Mirpuri dialect),Pathans. Tribes or clans (biraderi) are important for some groups in the region and include: the Sudhun (Sadozai), Abbasis(Dhond Abbasi tribe), Gujjars, Mirpuri Jats, and rajput. The Hindko and Potwari dialects are both related to Punjabi, but have distinct separate features. Potwari is spoken in the United Kingdom by the Mirpuri community; Mirpuri is a local dialect of Potwari spoken in and around the Mirpur and Kotli districts. About 60-70% of Pakistanis living in the UK today originate from the Azad Kashmir area. Azad Kashmir is predominantly Muslim.

[edit] Geography

Azad Kashmir is cold, mountainous region that boasts some of the most 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 in the "Northern Areas".

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[edit] Economy

In late 2006, a staggering $20 billion development scheme was mooted by Pakistan for reconstruction and rehabilitation of the earth-quake hit zones in Azad Kashmir. [1] A land use plan for Muzaffarabad city had been prepared by Japan International Cooperation Agency.

[edit] Pictures

Toli pir Rawalakot

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Political divisions of Pakistan		Image:Flag of Pakistan.svg
Provinces	Balochistan \| North-West Frontier Province \| Punjab \| Sindh
Territories	Islamabad Capital Territory \| Federally Administered Tribal Areas
Pakistan-administered Kashmir	Azad Kashmir \| Northern Areas