Poonch, sometimes also spelt Punchh, may refer to:
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. The territory shares a border to the north with Gilgit-Baltistan, together with which it is referred to by the United Nations and other international organizations as "Pakistani-administered Kashmir". 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, the administrative territory of Azad Jammu and Kashmir 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 Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948 or the First Kashmir War was an armed conflict that was fought between India and Pakistan over the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir from 1947 to 1948. It was the first of four Indo-Pakistani wars that was fought between the two newly-independent nations. Pakistan precipitated the war a few weeks after its independence by launching tribal lashkar (militias) from Waziristan, in an effort to capture Kashmir and to preempt the possibility of its ruler joining India. The inconclusive result of the war still affects the geopolitics of both countries.
The Poonch District is one of the 10 districts of Pakistan's dependent territory of Azad Kashmir. The Poonch District is bounded on the north by the Bagh District, on the north-east by the Haveli District, on the south-east by the Poonch District of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, on the south by the Sudhanoti District and the Kotli District, and on the west by the 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 AJK.
Uri is a town and a tehsil in the Baramulla district, in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Uri is located on the left bank of the Jhelum River, about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) east of the Line of Control with Pakistan.
Poonch or Punch is a district in Jammu and Kashmir, India. With headquarters the town of Poonch, it is bounded by the Line of Control on three sides. The 1947-48 war between India and Pakistan divided the earlier district into two parts. One went to Pakistan and the other became part of the then Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Rajouri is a district of Jammu region in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The Line of Control lies to its west, Poonch to its north, the Reasi district to the east and the Jammu district to its south. Rajouri is famous for its "Kalari". Representing an ancient principality, Rajouri was a joint district, along with Reasi, at the time of princely state's accession to India in 1947. The two tehsils were separated and Rajouri was merged with the Poonch district. Rajouri again became a separate district in 1968.
Rajouri or Rajauri is a town in Rajouri district in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is located about 155 kilometres (96 mi) from Srinagar and 150 km (93 mi) from Jammu city on the Poonch Highway. The town is the location of Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University and the birthplace of Sikh General Banda Singh Bahadur.
Poonch, called Prunts in the Kashmiri and Pahari languages, is a town and the administrative headquarters of the Poonch district, in the Jammu division of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is located near the Line of Control – the de facto border with Pakistan administered Jammu and Kashmir.
Poonch District was a district of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, currently divided between India and Pakistan. The Pakistani part of Poonch district is part of the Azad Kashmir territory, whilst the Indian part of Poonch district is part of Jammu and Kashmir. The capital of the Pakistan-controlled side is Rawalakot; while the capital of the Indian side is Poonch.
Poonch District may refer to:
Jandala may refer to one of several places and polity in modern Pakistan :
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.
Military operations took place in Poonch district, then part of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, in 1948 during the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir between the Indian Army and Pakistani and Azad Kashmir rebel forces. Poonch withstood a siege by these forces from November 1947 until relieved by an Indian offensive, Operation Easy on 20 November 1948. The besieged garrison, commanded by Brig. Pritam Singh, was maintained by air supply. Military operations ended with Poonch town and the eastern part of Poonch district in Indian hands and western part of the Poonch district in Pakistani hands.
The Poonch River is a tributary of the Jhelum River that flows through Jammu and Kashmir in India, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir in Pakistan.
The Haveli Tehsil is a tehsil of the Poonch district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is headquartered at the Poonch Town.
The history of Azad Kashmir, a part of the Kashmir region administered by Pakistan, is related to the history of the Kashmir region during the Dogra rule. Azad Kashmir borders the Pakistani provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the south and west respectively, Gilgit–Baltistan to the north, and the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir to the east.
Bhimber Gali is a village in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is often called BG locally as an abbreviated form of Bhimber Gali. It is named after a mountain pass "Bhimber Gali" on the mountain ridge separating the Poonch River and the Rajouri Tawi basins. Bhimber Gali is the point at which four roads meet, one from Hamirpur Balakote, second from Rajouri via Manjakote, third from Mendhar Tehsil and fourth from Poonch Via Surankote. This area borders Pakistan administered Kashmir and thus the surrounding areas often remain in news for cross LoC ceasefire violations.
Tosa Maidan is a tourist destination and a hill station in Jammu and Kashmir. It is located in Khag area of Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir. The name also marks the historic Tosa Maidan route into the Kashmir Valley from the Poonch Valley. In fact, the original name of Tosa Maidan appears to have been "Tosa Marg". Mahmud of Ghazni and the Sikh monarch Ranjit Singh attempted to invade the Kashmir Valley via this route.
The 2016–2018 India–Pakistan border skirmishes were a series of armed clashes between India and Pakistan, mostly consisting of heavy exchanges of gunfire between Indian and Pakistani forces across the de facto border, known as the Line of Control (LoC), between the two states in the disputed region of Kashmir. The skirmishes began after India claimed to have conducted surgical strikes against militant launch pads within the Pakistani-administered territory of Azad Jammu and Kashmir on 29 September 2016.
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. 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 Pakistan administered Kashmir. The Poonch jagir has since been divided across Kashmir, administered by Pakistan and the state of Jammu and Kashmir, administered by India.