Azad Kashmir

Azad Kashmir
Capital • Coordinates	Muzaffarabad •
Population (2006 estimate) • Density	3,965,999 • 298 people/km²
Area	13,297 km²
Time zone	PST (UTC +5)
Main language(s)	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 • Muhammad Anwar Khan • Sikandar Hayat Khan • 49
Website	Gov't of Azad Kashmir

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

History

After the partition of India in 1947 and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947, Pakistan gained administrative rights to a portion of Kashmir as per a cease-fire agreement. Parts of Azad Kashmir were lost to Indian forces in the 1971 war but were returned by India as part of the Simla Accord, in 1972. Pakistan divided the region into two administrative sub-regions:

Azad Kashmir, 250 miles (400 km) in length with the width varying from 10 to 40 miles (15 to 65 km), 13,300 km² (5,135 mi²),
Northern Areas, a much larger area, 72,496 km² (27,991 mi²), incorporated into Pakistan and administered as a de facto dependency, and
1. A small part, the Trans-Karakoram Tract, of the Northern Areas that was ceded to China by Pakistan in 1963.

Government

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
	NeelumNote: Neelum is a recently created district and no figures are available yet. Refer to the link below.
	Poonch	855
	Sudhnati	569
Azad Kashmir	7 districts	13,297

Demography

Although a proper census has not been taken in recent years, the best estimates conclude that the Azad Kashmir region has approximately 3.9 million inhabitants. The population of Azad Kashmir includes the Potwari (whose language includes the Mirpuri dialect), the nomadic Gujjars, who largely inhabit the upper hills and slopes and some Kashmiris and Hindko-speaking Pathans,. Tribes or clans (biraderi) are important for some groups in the region and include: the Sudhan (Sadozai) , Rajputs, Mirpuri Jats, and Gujjars. The Hindko and Potwari languages 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 70% of Pakistanis living in the UK today are Mirpuris. Azad Kashmir is predominantly Muslim, although over 100,000 Hindus and Sikhs lived there until 1947.

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".

References

External links

Official

Unofficial

Azad Kashmir | Divided regions