Introduction to Azad Kashmir ( Pakistan Administrated Kashmir)
The state of Jammu and Kashmir having an area of 84,471 square miles lies in the North East of Pakistan and North West of India. Russia, China and Afghanistan also border it towards the North. Area wise, the State of Jammu and Kashmir was the largest state in the sub-continent of Indo-Pak among the 562 princely states of the Sub-continent at the time of its division , and still claims the same status. Its area is almost equal to the total area of Belgium, Denmark, Holland, Austria and Albania, all put together, although it is slightly smaller than Great Britain. At the time of the division of the sub-continent in 1947 when the people of Kashmir smelt the conspiracy of Dogra rulers to hand over Kashmir to India, they revolted against him and got liberated some areas. These areas are now known by the name of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.The Muslims of Kashmir started a liberation war against India in 1947. As a result of this war in 1947, the Government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir was established on 24 th October, 1947, in the liberated area which is about 5,000 square miles out of total area of 84,471 square miles. An area of 28,000 square miles wasalso liberated by Gilgit Scouts and now it forms Northern Areas (Gilgit-Baltistan) which is being administered by the Federal Government of Pakistan. The state of Jammu and Kashmir is spread over an area of 222236 square kilometers. Jammu and Kashmir is bordered in north by China, east by autonomous region of Tibet, south by Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, and west by Pakistani city of Rawalpindi and Frontier Province and on North Western side by Afghanistan. The state was bifurcated in two parts during 1947 and then again a large chunk of the land was severed during 1965 Indo-China war. The state consists of three parts Indian controlled Kashmir (IcK), Pakistan controlled Kashmir (PcK) and China controlled Kashmir (CcK). The Pakistan administration first bifurcated PcK into Azad Kashmir (AK) and Northern Areas (NA) and then again it donated a large chunk of land (Shaksam valley of 5180 sq km) to China during its border agreement of 1963. But according to the signed document, this Sino-Pak agreement ceding a part of Kashmir is provisional and that it will be renegotiated with China after the Kashmir dispute is settled. In order of percentage, 48 per cent of the territory is under Indian occupation, 35 per cent is under Pakistan and rest 17 per cent is under control of China. Total Area of Kashmir: 222236 square kilometers
India Controlled Kashmir: 106,567 sq.kms
Pakistan Controlled Kashmir: 78,114 (AK= 4000 sq. miles)
China Controlled Kashmir: 37,555
The Government established on 24 th October 1947, was working like a war council. The Rules of Business were framed in order to run the administration of Azad Jammu and Kashmir under which the executive as well as the legislative authority vested in the President. The courts and Laws code was enacted in 1948 for running the judicial administration and some laws of former Jammu and Kashmir State were allowed to continue in operation. Thereafter, in 1952, the Rules of Business were revised. The system of administration as well as the legislation was provided in these Rules of Business. Another revision of the Rules of business took place in 1957. In the system, which prevailed from 1947 to 1960, the person holding the confidence of the Working Committee of Muslim conference was nominated as the president of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. For sometimes in the earlier years, the office of Supreme Head also existed who approved the legislation for Azad Jammu and Kashmir, but this office was abolished in 1952 and, thereafter, only the President was the Executive Head, who was assisted by some Ministers. State Profile
The State of Azad Jammu and Kashmir lies between longitude 730 – 750 and latitude 330 – 360 and comprises an area of 5134 square miles (13,297 square kilometres). The topography of the area is mainly hilly and mountainous with valleys and stretches of plains. The area is full of natural beauty with thick forest, fast flowing rivers and winding streams. Main rivers are Jehlum, Neelum and Poonch. The climate is sub-tropical highland type with an average yearly rainfall of 1300 mm. The elevation ranges from 360 meters in the South to 6325 meters in the North. According to the 1998 population census, the State of Azad Jammu & Kashmir had a population of 2.973, which estimated to have grown to 3.4 million in 2004. The rural to urban ratio is 88:12. The population density is 258 persons per Sq Km. The literacy rate have increased from 55% to 60% after 1998 census. Infant mortality rate is approximately 56 per 1000 live births, where as the immunization rate for the children less than 5 years of age is more than 88%. The majority of the rural population depends on forestry, livestock and agriculture for its subsistence. Average per capita income is estimated to range from 600 -5,000 US$. Un-employment rate is from 35 to 50%. In line with the national trends, indicators of social sector improvement, particularly health and population welfare have not shown much proficiency. Efforts have been made during the recent past to make up this deficiency, which will bring the fruits of development to the common man. The area under cultivation is around 166,432 hectares (almost 13% of the total area), out of which 92% of the cultivable area is rain-fed. State Flag/Map
The official flag the State of Azad Jammu & Kashmir was adopted on 24th September 1975. The flag was adopted by the passing of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir State Flag Ordinance, 1975 by the then president, Sardar Mohammad Ibrahim Khan. Symbolically the Flag represents following aspects of Azad Jammu and Kashmir;
The Three Fourth green background represents 75% Muslim population of the State of Jammu and Kashmir. One-Fourth Orange (Golden) colour represents 25% minorities of the State of Jammu and Kashmir. The Green stripes represent the five Rivers of the State of Jammu and Kashmir. The White stripes represent the snow-covered mountains of the State of Jammu and Kashmir. The Crescent is the usual semblance of the State of Jammu and Kashmir. Azad Jammu & Kashmir is very rich in natural beauty. Its snow-covered peaks, dense forests, winding rivers, turbulent foaming streams, wheat-scented valleys, velvet green plateaus and climate varying from arctic to tropical, all join together to make it an excellent tourist attraction. Valleys like Neelum, Jhelum, Leepa, Rawalakot, Banjosa, Samahni&Baghser unfold delight full scenic beauty and provide a feast of pleasure to a discerning tourist's eyes. Azad Jammu & Kashmir is a fascinating land of people, languages & culture. The texture of present population is composed of races claiming their descent from Semitic, Mongoloid, Aryans, Persians, Turks& Arabs. The people of districts Kotli, Mirpur & Bhimber are sturdy, simple, truthful and deeply attached to their land. Theculture of this arearesembles to that of the adjoining area of Punjab. The people of districts Poonch, Bagh & Sudhanoti are adventure loving and there are numerous anecdotes of their matchless valor as well as inspiring sacrifices for freedom, while Muzaffarabad & Neelum district has its own distinctive culture. The people of the state are intelligent ingenious, hardworking & dynamic.
