Azad_Kashmir

{{POV|date=December 2007}}
{{Cleanup|date=November 2007}}
{{Pakistan infobox
|region = Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK)
|flag = Flag of Azad Kashmir.svg
|map = PakistanAzadKashmir.png
|capital = [[Muzaffarabad]]
|latd = 34.22
|longd = 73.28
|pop_year = 2007
|population = 4,067,856 (estimate)
|density_km2 = 306
|pop_footnote = <ref name="gazzetteer">{{cite web |url=http://www.world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=&men=gadm&lng=en&dat=32&geo=-172&srt=npan&col=aohdq |title=Pakistan -administrative divisions| author=Stefan Helders, World-Gazzeteer.com| accessdate=2007-10-03}}</ref>
|area_footnote = <ref name="area">{{cite web| url=http://www.ajk.gov.pk/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2257&Itemid=144| title="Introduction:"| author=Government of Azad Kashmir| accessdate=2007-10-03}}</ref>
|area_km2 = 13,297
|languages = [[Kashmiri]] [[Urdu]] [[Hindko]] [[Pothohari language|Mirpuri]] [[Pahari]] [[Gojri]] [[Pashto]]
|status = self-governing state under Pakistani control
|districts = 8
|towns = none
|tehsils = 19
|unions = 182
|established = 1948
|governor = President Muhammad Zulqarnain Khan
|minister = [[Sardar Ateeq Ahmed Khan]]
|legislature = Legislative Assembly
|seats = 49
|website = http://www.ajk.gov.pk/main/index.html
|website_title = Government of Azad Kashmir
|footnotes =
}}

{{this|the area administered by [[Pakistan]]|Kashmir region}}

The '''Azad State of Jammu and Kashmir''' ({{lang-ur| 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 [[Northern Areas (Pakistan)|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 [[square kilometre|km²]] (5,134 [[square miles|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.)

[[Image:rawalkot 3.jpg|200px|thumb|Banjosa Rawalakot]]

== History ==
[[Image:Kashmir region-map 2004.jpg|thumb|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:
# [[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).
# [[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.
# [[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.

{| width="50%" style="border:1px solid black; text-align:left" bgcolor=#ACE1AF
|+
|-
! bgcolor=#ACE1AF width="10%"| Division
! bgcolor=#ACE1AF width="10%"| District
! bgcolor=#ACE1AF width="10%"| Area (km²)
! bgcolor=#ACE1AF width="10%"| Population (1998)
! bgcolor=#ACE1AF width="10%"| Headquarters
|-
|'''Mirpur''' || [[Bhimber District|Bhimber]] || 1,516 || 301,633 || Bhimber
|-
| || [[Kotli District|Kotli]] || 1,862 || 563,094 || Kotli
|-
| || [[Mirpur District|Mirpur]] || 1,010 || 333,482 || Mirpur
|-
|'''Muzaffarabad''' || [[Bagh District|Bagh]] || 1,368 || 393,415 || Bagh
|-
| || [[Muzaffarabad District|Muzaffarabad]] || 2,496 || 638,973 || [[Muzaffarabad]]
|-
| || [[Neelum District|Neelum]]<ref name="neelum">{{cite web| url=http://www.ajk.gov.pk/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2256&Itemid=144| title="Facts and Figures"| first=Government of Azad Kashmir| last=Official website| accessdate=2006-04-19}} - Neelum is a recently created district and no figures are available as yet.</ref> || 3,621 || 106,778 || Athmuqam
|-
|  || [[Poonch District (AJK)|Poonch]] || 855 || 411,035 || [[Rawalakot]]
|-
| || [[Sudhnati District|Sudhnati]] || 569 || 334,091 || [[Palandri|Pallandari]]
|-
! bgcolor=#ACE1AF width="10%"| AJK total
| bgcolor=#ACE1AF width="10%"| '''8 districts'''
! bgcolor=#ACE1AF width="10%"| 13,297
! bgcolor=#ACE1AF width="10%"| 2,972,501
! bgcolor=#ACE1AF width="10%"| '''Muzaffarabad'''
|}

==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 people|Jat]]
* [[Kashmiri]]
* [[Malik]]
* [[Mughal (tribe)|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 language|Hindko]] dialects spoken in Azad Kashmir are distantly related to [[Punjabi language|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 [[Himalaya]]s, but does not include [[Nanga Parbat]], the world's seventh-highest mountain peak, which is located in the [[Northern Areas]].
{{sect-stub}}

== 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. [http://www.dawn.com/2006/10/01/nat9.htm] A land-use plan for [[Muzaffarabad]] city was prepared by the [[Japan International Cooperation Agency]].

==Gallery==
<gallery>

Image:Bkh_lasdana_hajipir_road.jpg| LasDana-HajiPir Road Bagh AJ&K
Image:Bkh_sherudhara1.jpg| Sheru Dhara, Bagh AJK
Image:Toli pir rawalakot 1.jpg| Toli pir 1


Image:Rawalkot 3.jpg| Banjosa Rawalakot
Image:Kotli_Azad_Kashmir.jpg| Kotli Azad Kashmir
Image:Kotli District.JPG| Kotli District Azad Kashmir
Image:Mirpur_Mangla_Dam.JPG| Mangla Dam, next to Mirpur City, Azad Kashmir
Image:Village_in_Sarsawa_Valley.JPG| Village in Sarsawa Valley, Azad Kashmir

Image:Typical_Homes_in_Mirpur.JPG|Typical Homes in Mirpur

Image:Toli pir rawalakot 6.jpg| Toli pir 6


Image:Rw005.JPG| Rawalakot Valley
Image:100 0112.JPG| Banjosa Rest House and Lake
Image:100 1693.jpg| Rawalakot Bazaar
Image:Abc_bagh_cityview1.jpg| Bagh City View</gallery>

==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 ==
<references />

==External links==
{{portalpar|Pakistan}}
{{sisterlinks}}
* [http://www.ajk.gov.pk Government of Azad Kashmir]
* [http://www.tourism.gov.pk/kashmir_destinations.html Tourism site for Azad Kashmir]
* {{dmoz|Regional/Asia/Pakistan/Provinces/Jammu_and_Kashmir}}
* {{wikitravel|Azad Kashmir}}
* [http://www.kashmir.kct-uk.org/ tour guide photo gallery maps of Azad Kashmir]

{{Pakistan}}
{{Azad Kashmir}}

[[Category:Azad Kashmir]]
[[Category:Disputed territories in Asia]]
[[Category:Divided regions|K]]
[[Category:Foreign relations of Pakistan]]
[[Category:History of Jammu and Kashmir]]
[[Category:Subdivisions of Pakistan]]

[[bn:আজাদ কাশ্মীর]]
[[ca:Azad Kashmir]]
[[cs:Azád Kašmír]]
[[de:Asad Kaschmir]]
[[es:Cachemira Azad]]
[[fr:Azad Cachemire]]
[[it:Azad Kashmir]]
[[lt:Laisvasis Kašmyras]]
[[nl:Azad Kasjmir]]
[[pl:Azad Kaszmir]]
[[pt:Caxemira Livre (Paquistão)]]
[[sv:Azad Kashmir]]
[[tr:Azad Keşmir]]
[[ur:آزاد کشمیر]]
[[zh:自由克什米爾]]