Azad Jammu and Kashmir, abbreviated as AJK and colloquially referred to as simply Azad Kashmir, is a region administered by Pakistan as a nominally self-governing entity and constituting the western portion of the larger Kashmir region, which has been the subject of a dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947. Azad Kashmir also shares borders with the Pakistani provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the south and west, respectively. On its eastern side, Azad Kashmir is separated from the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir by the Line of Control (LoC), which serves as the de facto border between the Indian- and Pakistani-controlled parts of Kashmir. Geographically, it covers a total area of 13,297 km2 (5,134 sq mi) and has a total population of 4,045,366 as per the 2017 national census.
The Poonch District is a district of Pakistan-administered Azad Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. It is one of the 10 districts of this Pakistan-administered territory. It is bounded on the north by Bagh District, on the north-east by Haveli District, on the south-east by the Poonch District of Indian-administered Kashmir, on the south by Azad Kashmir's Sudhanoti and Kotli districts, and on the west by Rawalpindi District of Pakistan's Punjab Province. The Poonch District is part of the greater Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan. The district headquarters is the city of Rawalakot. It is the 3rd most populus district of Azad Kashmir.
Rawalakot is the capital of Poonch district in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. It is located in the Pir Panjal Range.
Bagh City is the chief town and district headquarters of Bagh District, in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. The town is situated on the confluence of two nullahs (streams), Malwani and Mahl at the distance of 93 km from Muzaffarabad.
Pallandri, also spelled Palandri, originally Pulandari, is a Tehsil which serves as administrative capital of Sudhanoti district of Azad Kashmir. It is located at latitude 33° 42′ 54″ N, longitude 73° 41′ 9″ E, 90 km (56 mi) from Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. It is connected with Rawalpindi and Islamabad through Azad Pattan road. The main tribe of Pallandri is the Sudhan tribe. Here in Palindri First Government of Sidhnuti Azad Kashmir on October 4,1947 was established
Kotli is a city in Kotli District of Azad Kashmir in Pakistan. It lies on the Poonch River, and the river contains several waterfalls, including the Lala Waterfall near the town of Kotli, and the Gulpur Waterfalls at the village of Gulpur to the southwest. As per the 2017 Census of Pakistan, Kotli had a population of 46,907.
Bhalgran is a village in Poonch District in Azad Kashmir.
Thorar is a town in Poonch District in Azad Kashmir. It is located about 20 miles from Rawalakot city, the capital of Poonch district.
The Sudhanoti District, meaning the "heartland of Sudhans" or "Sudhan heartland"),
Balouch or Baloch is a Tehsil in Sudhanoti District, Azad Kashmir. It is the highest most peak in Sudhnoti district parallel to but not in balanced surface proportion with the Bisarh'i peak. The third peak is Baithak. It is located at 33°38'40N 73°49'25E with an altitude of 1769 metres.
Colonel Khan Muhammad Khan was a prominent Sudhan soldier and politician in Poonch, serving in the Legislative Assembly of the princely state of Jammu & Kashmir until 1947. Later he served as the Chairman of the War Council during the 1947 Poonch Rebellion.
Hajira is a small town in Poonch District of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. It is the headquarters of Tehsil Hajira also known as 'Cheara' in local accents. Hajira is a transport hub, being the center point of different districts. Hajira Ponch is correctly interpreted as ‘Hajira Reach’. In front (South) of Hajira there is district Sudhnoti. On the left side of Hajira there is district Kotli. On the back side (North) of Hajira there is district 'Haveli. District Bagh is in the right side (West) of Hajira. Khai Gala and Rawalakot are the other nearest cities of Hajira and located in the right side (West) of Hajira. While summers can be very hot the winters are mild in Hajira, with snowfall very rare due to the low altitude. The language spoken in Hajira is Urdu similar to the right west side of Hajira as Rawlakot, as you go north to Tata pani towards Kotli and Mirpur the language emerges in to “Pahari” and “Potwari”. Hajira is close to Indian borders hence the main language becoming Urdu. The Indian borders and line of control LOC is near Hajira.
Colonel Sher Ahmed Khan, was one of the guerrilla commanders of the Azad Kashmir Movement and also served as the President of Azad Kashmir. He was known as Sher-e-Jang and awarded the Fakhr-i-Kashmir, which is equivalent to Hilal-i-Jurat.
University of Poonch is a public university located in Rawalakot, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. The university has 3 different campuses: The Main campus in Rawalakot, the Kahuta campus, and the Mong campus. As of 2017, the university has 7 faculties consisting of 26 departments.
Khan Muhammad Khan commonly known as Khan of Mong, was a Captain in the British Indian Army during the World War II. After demobilisation, he served as a rebel leader during the First Kashmir War. He is credited with the capture of Mirpur,even though the real action was carried out by Pakistan's PAVO Cavalry.. He was also allegedly involved with the Rawalpindi Conspiracy and the Poonch Uprising.
The 1955 Poonch revolt, also known as the 1955 Poonch uprising, was a Civil revolt in Azad Jammu and Kashmir against the State of Pakistan. The uprising broke out in February 1955 and was provoked largely by the dismissal of Sardar Ibrahim Khan. It took a year until the uprising was suppressed in October 1956.
In spring 1947, an uprising against the Maharaja Hari Singh of Jammu and Kashmir broke out in the Poonch jagir, an area bordering the Rawalpindi district of West Punjab and the Hazara district of the North-West Frontier Province in the future Pakistan. It was driven by grievances such as high taxes, the Maharaja's neglect of World War veterans, and above all, Muslim nationalism with a desire to join Pakistan. The leader of the rebellion, Sardar Muhammad Ibrahim Khan, escaped to Lahore by the end of August 1947 and persuaded the Pakistani authorities to back the rebellion. In addition to the backing, Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan authorised an invasion of the state, by the ex-Indian National Army personnel in the south and a force led by Major Khurshid Anwar in the north. These invasions eventually led to the First Kashmir War fought between India and Pakistan, and the formation of Azad Kashmir provisional government. The Poonch jagir has since been divided across Azad Kashmir, administered by Pakistan and the state of Jammu and Kashmir, administered by India.
Major General Muhammad Hayat Khan was an Azad Kashmiri politician who served as the 15th President of Azad Kashmir from 1 November 1978 to 31 January 1983.
LA-21 Poonch & Sudhnoti-IV is a constituency of the Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly which is currently represented by Hassan Ibrahim Khan of the Jammu Kashmir Peoples Party (JKPP). It covers half of the area of Rawalakot Tehsil in Poonch District.
LA-20 Poonch & Sudhnoti-III is a constituency of the Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly which is currently represented by Sardar Muhammad Yaqoob Khan of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP). It covers half of the area of Rawalakot Tehsil in Poonch District.
