Pakistan-occupied Kashmir: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Region occupied by Pakistan}}
#REDIRECT [[Kashmir#Terminology]]
{{Use Pakistani English|date=July 2015}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                            = Pakistan Occupied Kashmir
| native_name                    =
| native_name_lang                =
| settlement_type                = Region occupied by [[Pakistan]]
| image_map                      =
| map_caption                    =
| image_map1                      = Kashmir Region November 2019.jpg
| map_caption1                    = A map of the disputed [[Kashmir]] region with the two Pakistani-occupied territories shown in green
| image_skyline                  = {{Photomontage
| photo1a = View From Sharda Fort, Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Pakistan.jpg
| photo2a = Heavens unleashed Neelum valley.jpg
| photo2b =
| photo3a =
| photo3b =
| photo4a =
| size = 250
| position = center
| spacing = Number indicating width of spacing between the images (default: 1)
| color = Color of spacing between the images (default: black)
| border = Number indicating width of border surrounding the montage (default: 1)
| color_border = Color of border surrounding the montage (default: black)
| text =
| text_background = Color of background behind text (default: #F8F8FF)
| foot_montage = [[Sharda, Pakistan Occupied Kashmir|Sharda]], [[Neelum Valley]]
}}
| image_alt                      =
| flag_alt                        =
| nickname                        =
| map_alt                        =
| coordinates                    = {{Coord|33|50|36|N|73|51|05|E|type:adm1st_region:PK_dim:1000000|display=inline,title}}
| coor_pinpoint                  =
| coordinates_footnotes          =
| subdivision_type                = Country
| subdivision_name                = [[Pakistan]]
| established_title              = Established
| established_date                = October 24, 1947
| seat_type                      = Capital
| seat                            = [[Muzaffarabad]]
| seat1_type                      = Largest city
| seat1                          = Muzaffarabad
| government_footnotes            =
| government_type                = Self-governing state under Pakistani administration<ref name=brit/><ref name="BBC">{{cite news |title=Kashmir profile |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-11693674 |date=November 26, 2014 |work=BBC News |access-date=July 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150716152335/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-11693674 |archive-date=July 16, 2015 |url-status=live  }}</ref>
| governing_body                  = Government of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir
| leader_party                    =
| leader_title                    = [[List of Governors of Pakistan|President]]
| leader_name                    = [[Masood Khan]]
| leader_title1                  = [[List of Chief Ministers in Pakistan|Prime&nbsp;Minister]]
| leader_name1                    = [[Raja Farooq Haider]] ([[Pakistan Muslim League (N)|PML-N]])
| leader_title2                  = [[Chief Secretary (Pakistan)|Chief Secretary]]
| leader_name2                    = Mathar Niaz Rana<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cs.POK.gov.pk/|title=Chief Secretary Of POK|first=Ghalib|last=Raza|website=cs.POK.gov.pk}}</ref>
| leader_title3                  = [[Azad Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly|Legislature]]
| leader_name3                    = [[Unicameralism|Unicameral]] (49 seats)
| unit_pref                      = Metric<!-- or US or UK -->
| area_footnotes                  =
| area_total_km2                  = 13,297
| area_note                      =
| elevation_footnotes            =
| elevation_m                    =
| population_total                = 4,045,366
| population_as_of                = 2017
| population_footnotes            =
| population_density_km2          = auto
| population_demonym              = Pakistan Occupied Kashmiri<ref>The demonym of "Kashmiri" in [[South Asia]]n circles tends to be reserved to describing only those who are [[Kashmiris|ethnically Kashmiri]]. Ethnic Kashmiris are native to the [[Kashmir Valley]], which has been under [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Indian administration]] since the end of the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948|First Kashmir War]] between [[India]] and [[Pakistan]]. Thus, those who are from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir are referred to as "Pakistan Occupied Kashmiris" to distinguish them as (usually) non-ethnic Kashmiris and to denote that they hail from the Pakistani-occupied portion of Kashmir.</ref>
| population_note                =
| timezone1                      = [[Pakistan Standard Time|PST]]
| utc_offset1                    = +05:00
| postal_code_type                =
| postal_code                    =
| area_code                      =
| area_code_type                  =
| iso_code                        = [[ISO 3166-2:PK|PK-POK]]
| blank_name_sec1                = Languages
| blank_info_sec1                = {{hlist|[[Pahari-Pothwari]]|[[Gojri]]|[[Urdu]]|[[Hindko]]|[[Kashmiri language|Kashmiri]]|[[Kundal Shahi language|Kundal Shahi]]}}
| blank1_name_sec2                = [[Divisions of Pakistan|Divisions]]
| blank1_info_sec2                = 3
| blank2_name_sec2                = [[Districts of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir|Districts]]
| blank2_info_sec2                = 10
| website                        = {{URL|http://www.ajk.gov.pk/}}
| footnotes                      =
| blank3_name_sec2                = [[List of tehsils of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir|Tehsils]]
| blank3_info_sec2                = 33
| blank4_name_sec2                = [[Union Councils of Pakistan|Union Councils]]
| blank4_info_sec2                = 182
| blank5_name_sec1                = [[List of administrative units of Pakistan by Human Development Index|HDI]] (2018)
| blank5_info_sec1                = 0.611 {{decrease}}<ref name="GlobalDataLab">{{cite web|url=https://hdi.globaldatalab.org/areadata/shdi/|title=Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab|website=hdi.globaldatalab.org|access-date=March 15, 2020}}</ref><br/>{{color|#fc0|Medium}}
| official_name                  =
}}
 
'''Pakistan Occupied Kashmir''' abbreviated as '''POK''', is a region occupied by [[Pakistan]] as a nominally self-governing entity<ref name="self-governing">See:
* {{cite book |first1=Richard M. |last1=Bird |first2=François |last2=Vaillancourt |title=Fiscal Decentralization in Developing Countries |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_wraZ5HEMasC&pg=PA127  |date=2008 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-10158-5 |pages=127–}}
* {{cite book |last=Bose |first=Sumantra |author-link=Sumantra Bose |title=Contested Lands |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KKZcgOJPjVkC&pg=PA193 |date=2009 |publisher=Harvard University Press |isbn=978-0-674-02856-2 |p=193|quote=Pakistan Occupied Kashmir – 'Free Kashmir,' the more populated and nominally self-governing part of Pakistani-controlled Kashmir}}
* {{cite news |title=Territorial limits |url=http://herald.dawn.com/news/1153046 |date=May 7, 2015 |work=Herald |access-date=July 24, 2015 |quote=These are self-ruled autonomous regions. But restrictions apply. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150725012628/http://herald.dawn.com/news/1153046 |archive-date=July 25, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and constitutes the western portion of the larger [[Kashmir]] region, which has been the [[Kashmir conflict|subject of a dispute]] between [[India]] and Pakistan [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948|since 1947]].<ref name=britannica-jammu-kashmir>The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of [[Kashmir]] and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the [[WP:TERTIARY|tertiary sources]] (a) and (b), reflecting [[WP:DUE|due weight]] in the coverage: <br/>(a) {{citation|title=Kashmir, region Indian subcontinent|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Kashmir-region-Indian-subcontinent |access-date=August 15, 2019}} (subscription required) Quote: "Kashmir, region of the northwestern Indian subcontinent ... has been the subject of dispute between India and Pakistan since the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947. The northern and western portions are administered by Pakistan and comprise three areas: Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, Gilgit, and Baltistan, the last two being part of a territory called the Northern Areas. Administered by India are the southern and southeastern portions, which constitute the state of Jammu and Kashmir but are slated to be split into two union territories. China became active in the eastern area of Kashmir in the 1950s and has controlled the northeastern part of Ladakh (the easternmost portion of the region) since 1962.";<br/> (b) {{citation|chapter=Kashmir|title=Encyclopedia Americana|publisher=Scholastic Library Publishing|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l_cWAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA328|year=2006|isbn=978-0-7172-0139-6|page=328}} C. E Bosworth, University of Manchester Quote: "KASHMIR, kash'mer, the northernmost region of the Indian subcontinent, administered partlv by India, partly by Pakistan, and partly by China. The region has been the subject of a bitter dispute between India and Pakistan since they became independent in 1947";</ref> The territory shares a border to the north with [[Gilgit-Baltistan]].<ref>
{{cite book |first1=Bipan |last1=Chandra |first2=Aditya |last2=Mukherjee |first3=Mridula |last3=Mukherje |title=India since Independence |publisher=Penguin Books India |year=2008 |isbn=978-0143104094 |p=416}}
</ref> Sometimes Pakistan Occupied Kashmir alone is meant by these terms.{{sfn|Snedden|2013|pp=2–3}}
The terms "Pakistani-occupied Kashmir" and "Pakistani-controlled Kashmir"<ref name=Bose2>
{{cite book |first=Sumantra |last=Bose |title=Contested lands: Israel-Palestine, Kashmir, Bosnia, Cyprus and Sri Lanka |publisher=Harvard University Press |year=2009 |isbn=978-0674028562 |p=193}}
</ref><ref>
{{cite book |first=Navnita Chadha |last=Behera |title=Demystifying Kashmir |publisher=Pearson Education India |year=2007 |isbn=978-8131708460|p=66}}
</ref>
are used by neutral sources. Conversely, the [[Government of Pakistan|Pakistani government]] and Pakistani sources refer to the Indian-administered territories of [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]] and [[Ladakh]] as "Indian-held Kashmir" ("IHK") or "Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir" ("IIOJK"), colloquially shortened to "Indian-occupied Kashmir" ("IOK").{{sfn|Snedden|2013|pp=2–3}}<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-08-04|title=IIOJK made part of new political map of Pakistan|url=https://dailytimes.com.pk/649420/iiojk-made-part-of-new-political-map-of-pakistan/|access-date=2020-10-24|website=Daily Times|language=en-US}}</ref>}} Pakistan Occupied Kashmir also shares borders with the Pakistani provinces of [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab]] and [[Khyber Pakhtunkhwa]] to the south and west, respectively. On its eastern side, Pakistan Occupied Kashmir is separated from the Indian [[union territory]] of [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]] by the [[Line of Control|Line of Control (LoC)]], which serves as the ''[[de facto]]'' border between the Indian- and Pakistani-controlled parts of Kashmir.
 
The territory has a parliamentary form of government modelled after the [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Westminster system]], with the city of [[Muzaffarabad]] serving as its [[Capital city|capital]]. The [[President of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir|President of POK]] is the constitutional [[head of state]], while the [[Prime Minister of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir|Prime Minister]], supported by a [[Council of Ministers]], is the chief executive. The unicameral [[Pakistan Occupied Kashmir Legislative Assembly|Pakistan Occupied Kashmir Legislative Assembly]] elects both the Prime Minister and President. The territory has its own [[Supreme Court of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir|Supreme Court]] and a [[High Court of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir|High Court]], while the [[Government of Pakistan]]'s [[Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan]] serves as a link between itself and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir's government, although the autonomous territory is not represented in the [[Parliament of Pakistan]].
 
Northern Pakistan Occupied Kashmir lies in a region that experiences strong vibrations of the earth as a result of the [[Indo-Australian Plate|Indian plate]] under thrusting the [[Eurasian plate]].<ref>{{citation|last=Britannica|first=The Editors of Encyclopaedia|chapter=Pakistan Occupied Kashmir|title=Encyclopedia Britannica|date=18 March 2021|chapter-url= https://www.britannica.com/place/Azad-Kashmir|access-date= 17 April 2021}} (subscription required)</ref> A major [[2005 Kashmir earthquake|earthquake in 2005]] killed at least 100,000 people and left another three million people displaced, causing widespread devastation to the region's infrastructure and economy. Since then, with help from the Government of Pakistan and [[International response to the 2005 Kashmir earthquake|foreign aid]], reconstruction of infrastructure is underway. Pakistan Occupied Kashmir's economy largely depends on agriculture, services, tourism, and remittances sent by members of the [[British Mirpuris|British Mirpuri]] community. Nearly 87% of Pakistan Occupied Kashmiri households own farm property,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thenews.com.pk/print/48195-underdevelopment-in-POK|title=Underdevelopment in POK|website=The News International|access-date=June 18, 2016}}</ref> and the region has the highest rate of school enrolment in Pakistan and a literacy rate of approximately 72%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/526323/education-emergency-POK-leading-in-enrolment-lagging-in-quality/|title=Education emergency: POK leading in enrolment, lagging in quality – The Express Tribune|date=March 26, 2013|website=The Express Tribune|access-date=June 18, 2016}}</ref>
 
== Name ==
''Pakistan Occupied Kashmir'' (Free Kashmir) was the title of a pamphlet issued by the [[All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference|Muslim Conference]] party at its 13th general session held in 1945 at [[Poonch (town)|Poonch]].{{sfnp|Behera, Demystifying Kashmir|2007|p=20}} It is believed to have been a response to the [[Jammu & Kashmir National Conference|National Conference]]'s ''Naya Kashmir'' (New Kashmir) programme.{{sfnp|Kapoor, Politics of Protests in Jammu and Kashmir|2014|loc=Chapter 6, p.&nbsp;273}} Sources state that it was no more than a compilation of various resolutions passed by the party.{{sfnp|Ganai, Dogra Raj and the Struggle for Freedom in Kashmir|1999|loc=Chapter 6, p.&nbsp;341}} But its intent seems to have been to declare that the Muslims of Jammu and Kashmir were committed to the [[All-India Muslim League|Muslim League]]'s struggle for a separate homeland (Pakistan),{{sfnp|Behera, Demystifying Kashmir|2007|p=20}} and that the Muslim Conference was their sole representative organisation.{{sfnp|Kapoor, Politics of Protests in Jammu and Kashmir|2014|loc=Chapter 6, p.&nbsp;273}} However, the following year, the party passed an "Pakistan Occupied Kashmir resolution" demanding that the maharaja institute a constituent assembly elected on an extended franchise.{{sfnp|Saraf, Kashmiris Fight for Freedom, Volume 1|2015|p=663}} According to scholar Chitralekha Zutshi, the organisation's declared goal was to achieve responsible government under the aegis of the maharaja, without association with either India or Pakistan.<ref>{{citation |last=Zutshi |first=Chitralekha |title=Languages of Belonging: Islam, Regional Identity, and the Making of Kashmir |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H7Ptp4Iod8EC&pg=PA292 |year=2004 |publisher=C. Hurst & Co. Publishers |isbn=978-1-85065-700-2 |p=302}}</ref> The following year, the party workers assembled at the house of [[Sardar Ibrahim]] on 19 July 1947 reversed the decision, demanding that the maharaja accede to Pakistan.{{sfnp|Saraf, Kashmiris Fight for Freedom, Volume 2|2015|p=9}}<ref>{{citation |first=Balraj |last=Puri |author-link=Balraj Puri |title=The Question of Accession |journal=Epilogue |volume=4 |number=11|date=November 2010 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TMxJzb7N_8wC&pg=PA4 |p=5}}</ref>
 
Soon afterwards, Sardar Ibrahim escaped to Pakistan and led the [[1947 Poonch rebellion|Poonch rebellion]] from there with the assistance of Pakistan's prime minister [[Liaquat Ali Khan]] and other officials. Liaquat Ali Khan appointed a committee headed by [[Mian Iftikharuddin]] to draft a "declaration of freedom".{{sfn|Saraf, Kashmiris Fight for Freedom, Volume 2|2015|pp=148–149}} On 4 October an Pakistan Occupied Kashmir provisional government was declared in Lahore with Ghulam Nabi Gilkar as president under the assumed name "Mr. Anwar" and Sardar Ibrahim as the prime minister. Gilkar travelled to Srinagar and was arrested by the maharaja's government. Pakistani officials subsequently appointed Sardar Ibrahim as the president.{{sfnp|Saraf, Kashmiris Fight for Freedom, Volume 2|2015|p=547|pp=544–545}}{{refn|group=note|The official with direct involvement in the affair was the Commissioner of [[Rawalpindi Division]], Khawaja Abdul Rahim. He was assisted by [[Nasim Jahan]], the wife of Colonel [[Akbar Khan (Pakistani general)|Akbar Khan]].{{sfnp|Saraf, Kashmiris Fight for Freedom, Volume 2|2015|p=547}}}}
 
==Geography==
The northern part of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir encompasses the lower area of the [[Himalayas]], including Jamgarh Peak ({{convert|4734|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=or}}). However, [[Sarwali Peak]](6326 m) in [[Neelum Valley]] is the highest peak in the state.<ref name=brit/>
 
The region receives rainfall in both the winter and the summer. [[Muzaffarabad]] and Pattan are among the wettest areas of Pakistan. Throughout most of the region, the average rainfall exceeds 1400&nbsp;mm, with the highest average rainfall occurring near Muzaffarabad (around 1800&nbsp;mm). During the summer season, monsoon floods of the rivers [[Jhelum River|Jhelum]] and Leepa are common due to extreme rains and snow melting.
 
==History==
[[File:Kashmir_Region_November_2019.jpg|thumb|left|A map of the disputed Kashmir region showing areas controlled by [[India]], [[Pakistan]], and [[China]] as well as historical demarcations.]]
At the time of the [[Partition of India]] in 1947, the British abandoned their [[suzerainty]] over the [[princely states]], which were left with the options of joining India or Pakistan or remaining independent. [[Hari Singh]], the [[maharaja]] of Jammu and Kashmir, wanted his state to remain independent.<ref>
{{cite web|url=http://www.indiatogether.org/peace/kashmir/intro.htm |title=The J&K conflict: A Chronological Introduction |publisher=India Together |access-date=June 5, 2010}}
</ref><ref name = britannica>
{{cite encyclopedia|author=Britannica Concise Encyclopedia |url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/312908/Kashmir |title=Kashmir (region, Indian subcontinent)&nbsp;– Britannica Online Encyclopedia |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=June 5, 2010}}
</ref> Muslims in the western districts of the Jammu province (current day Pakistan Occupied Kashmir) and in the Frontier Districts province (current day [[Gilgit-Baltistan]]) had wanted to join [[Pakistan]].{{sfn|Snedden|2013|page=14|ps= ."Similarly, Muslims in Western Jammu Province, particularly in Poonch, many of whom had martial capabilities, and Muslims in the Frontier Districts Province strongly wanted J&K to join Pakistan."}}
 
In Spring 1947, an uprising against the maharaja broke out in [[Poonch district, Pakistan|Poonch]], an area bordering the [[Rawalpindi division]] of [[West Punjab]]. The maharaja's administration is said to have started levying punitive taxes on the peasantry which provoked a local revolt and the administration resorted to brutal suppression. The area's population, swelled by recently demobilised soldiers following [[World War II]], rebelled against the maharaja's forces and gained control of almost the entire district. Following this victory, the pro-Pakistan chieftains of the western districts of [[Muzaffarabad district|Muzaffarabad]], [[History of Poonch District|Poonch]] and [[Mirpur district|Mirpur]] proclaimed a provisional Pakistan Occupied Kashmir government in Rawalpindi on October 3, 1947.{{sfn|Bose|2003|pp=32–33}}{{refn|group=note|Officially, the Mirpur and Poonch districts were in the Jammu province of the state and Muzaffarabad was in the Kashmir province.  All three provinces spoke languages related to [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]], not the [[Kashmiri language]] spoken in the [[Kashmir Valley]].<ref>{{citation |first=Navnita Chadha |last=Behera |title=Demystifying Kashmir |publisher=Pearson Education India |year=2007 |isbn=978-8131708460 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qM6kW9ZRMRkC |p=29}}</ref>}} Ghulam Nabi Gilkar, under the assumed name "Mr. Anwar," issued a proclamation in the name of the provisional government in [[Muzaffarabad]]. However, this government quickly fizzled out with the arrest of Anwar in Srinagar.{{sfn|Snedden|2013|p=59}} On October 24, a second provisional government of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir was established at [[Palandri]] under the leadership of [[Sardar Ibrahim Khan]].{{sfn|Snedden|2013|p=61}}
 
On October 21, several thousand [[Pashtuns|Pashtun]] tribesmen from [[North-West Frontier Province (1901–1955)|North-West Frontier Province]] poured into Jammu and Kashmir to "liberate" it from the maharaja's rule. They were led by experienced military leaders and were equipped with modern arms. The maharaja's crumbling forces were unable to withstand the onslaught. The raiders captured the towns of Muzaffarabad and [[Baramulla]], the latter of which is {{convert|20|mi|km|order=flip}} northwest of the state capital [[Srinagar]]. On October 24, the maharaja requested military assistance from India, which responded that it was unable to help him unless he acceded to India. Accordingly, on October 26, 1947, Maharaja Hari Singh signed an [[Instrument of Accession (Jammu and Kashmir)|Instrument of Accession]], handing over control of defence, external affairs, and communications to the Government of India in return for military aid.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/10537286|title=Kashmir: Why India and Pakistan fight over it|date=November 23, 2016|work=BBC News}}</ref> Indian troops were immediately airlifted into Srinagar.{{sfn|Bose|2003|pp=35–36}} Pakistan intervened subsequently.<ref name = britannica /> Fighting ensued between the Indian and Pakistani armies, with the two areas of control more or less stabilised around what is now known as the "[[Line of Control]]".<ref>
{{cite news
|url=http://www.southasianmedia.net/magazine/journal/grasping_nettle.htm
|title=Grasping the Nettle
|author=Prem Shankar Jha
|work=South Asian Journal
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100516074510/http://www.southasianmedia.net/magazine/journal/grasping_nettle.htm
|archive-date=May 16, 2010
}}{{unreliable source?|date=May 2015}}
</ref>
 
India later approached the United Nations, asking it to resolve the dispute, and resolutions were passed in favour of the holding of a plebiscite with regard to Kashmir's future. However, no such plebiscite has ever been held on either side, since there was a precondition which required the withdrawal of the Pakistani army along with the non-state elements and the subsequent partial withdrawal of the Indian army.<ref name="UN Resolution 47">
{{cite web|title=UN resolution 47|url=http://daccess-ods.un.org/access.nsf/Get?Open&DS=S/RES/47%20(1948)&Lang=E&Area=RESOLUTION|access-date=September 11, 2012}}
</ref>  from the parts of Kashmir under their respective control&nbsp;– a withdrawal that never took place.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indianembassy.org/policy/Kashmir/uncip(s1100).htm |title=UNCIP Resolution of August 13, 1948 (S/1100)&nbsp;– Embassy of India, Washington, D.C. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013165623/http://www.indianembassy.org/policy/Kashmir/uncip%28s1100%29.htm |archive-date=October 13, 2007 }}
</ref> In 1949, a formal cease-fire line separating the Indian- and Pakistani-controlled parts of Kashmir came into effect.
 
Following the [[Karachi Agreement|1949 cease-fire agreement]] with India, the government of Pakistan divided the northern and western parts of Kashmir that it controlled at the time of the cease-fire into the following two separately-controlled political entities:
* Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK)&nbsp;– the narrow, southern part, {{convert|250|mi|km|order=flip|abbr=on}} long, with a width varying from {{convert|10|to|40|mi|km|round=5|order=flip|abbr=on}}.
* [[Gilgit–Baltistan]] formerly called the [[Federally Administered Northern Areas]] (FANA)&nbsp;– the much larger political entity to the north of POK with an area of {{convert|72496|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}.
 
At one time under Pakistani control, Kashmir's [[Trans-Karakoram Tract|Shaksgam tract]], a small region along the northeastern border of Gilgit–Baltistan, was provisionally ceded by Pakistan to the People's Republic of China in 1963 and now forms part of China's [[Xinjiang]] Uygur Autonomous Region.


In 1972, the then current border between the Indian and Pakistani controlled parts of Kashmir was designated as the "[[Line of Control]]". This line has remained unchanged<ref>
{{Redirect category shell|
{{cite web
{{R from non-neutral title}}
|url=https://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unmogip/
{{R to section}}
|title=UNMOGIP: United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080514065929/http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unmogip/
|archive-date=May 14, 2008
}}
}}
</ref> since the 1972 [[Simla Agreement]], which bound the two countries "to settle their differences by peaceful means through bilateral negotiations". Some political experts claim that, in view of that pact, the only solution to the issue is mutual negotiation between the two countries without involving a third party such as the United Nations.{{citation needed|date=August 2015}} The 1974 Interim Constitution Act was passed by the 48-member Pakistan Occupied Kashmir unicameral assembly.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/azad-kashmir-india-pakistan-pakistan-peoples-party-ppp-nawaz-sharif/|title=How free is Azad Kashsmir|work=The Indian Express|date=March 26, 2016}}</ref>
==Government==
[[File:Azad Kashmir Map.svg|thumb|150px|Districts of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir]]
Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) is nominally a self-governing state, but ever since the 1949 ceasefire between Indian and Pakistani forces, Pakistan has exercised control over the state without actually incorporating it into Pakistan.<ref name="brit">{{cite web|url = http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/46696/Azad-Kashmir | title = Pakistan Occupied Kashmir | website = Encyclopædia Britannica | access-date = November 14, 2019 }}</ref><ref name="POK144">{{cite web|url=http://www.ajk.gov.pk/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2257&Itemid=144|title=Pakistan Occupied Kashmir&nbsp;– Introduction|access-date=June 22, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927000235/http://www.ajk.gov.pk/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2257&Itemid=144|archive-date=September 27, 2007}}
</ref> Pakistan Occupied Kashmir has its own elected [[President (government title)|president]], [[prime minister]], [[legislative assembly]], [[high court]] (with Azam Khan as its present chief justice), and [[Flag of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir|official flag]].<ref name="POK.gov.pk">{{cite web|url=http://POK.gov.pk/history.php|title=POK Portal|website=POK.gov.pk}}</ref>
Pakistan Occupied Kashmir's financial matters, i.e., budget and tax affairs, are dealt with by the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir Council rather than by Pakistan's Central Board of Revenue. The Pakistan Occupied Kashmir Council is a supreme body consisting of 14 members, 8 from the government of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and 6 from the government of Pakistan. Its chairman/chief executive is the prime minister of Pakistan. Other members of the council are the president and the prime minister of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (or an individual nominated by her/him) and 6 members of the POK Legislative Assembly.<ref name="POK.gov.pk"/><ref name="POK144" /> Pakistan Occupied Kashmir Day is celebrated in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir on October 24, which is the day that the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir government was created in 1947. Pakistan has celebrated [[Kashmir Solidarity Day]] on February 5 of each year since 1990 as a day of protest against [[India]]'s ''[[de facto]]'' sovereignty over its State of [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/05/stories/2007020503731300.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070207021404/http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/05/stories/2007020503731300.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 7, 2007|title=Pakistan to observe Kashmir Solidarity Day today|date=February 5, 2007|work=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=February 5, 2008}}
</ref> That day is a [[Public holidays in Pakistan|national holiday]] in Pakistan.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=36715 |title=Kashmir Day being observed today |date=February 5, 2008 |work=[[The News International]] |access-date=February 5, 2008 }}{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
</ref> Pakistan observes the Kashmir [[Accession Day (Jammu and Kashmir)|Accession Day]] as Black Day on October 27 of each year since 1947 as a day of protest against the accession of [[Jammu and Kashmir State]] to India and its military presence in the Indian-controlled parts of Jammu and Kashmir.
[[Brad Adams]], the Asia director at the U.S.-based [[NGO]] [[Human Rights Watch]] said in 2006: "Although 'azad' means 'free,' the residents of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir are anything but; the Pakistani authorities govern the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir government with tight controls on basic freedoms."<ref name="Adams">{{cite web|last=Adams|first=Brad|title=Pakistan: 'Free Kashmir' Far From Free|date=September 22, 2006|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2006/09/20/pakistan-free-kashmir-far-free|publisher=Human Rights Watch}}
</ref> Scholar [[Christopher Snedden]] has observed that despite tight controls, the people of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir have generally accepted whatever Pakistan has done to them, which in any case has varied little from how most Pakistanis have been treated (by Pakistan). According to [[Christopher Snedden]], one of the reasons for this was that the people of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir had always wanted to be part of Pakistan.<ref name="Snedden 2013">{{harvnb|Snedden|2013|page=93|ps=. "Second, Pakistan Occupied Kashmiris had always wanted to be part of this nation."}}</ref>
Consequently, having little to fear from a pro-Pakistan population devoid of options,<ref name="Snedden 2013"/> Pakistan imposed its will through the Federal [[Ministry of Kashmir Affairs (Pakistan)|Ministry of Kashmir Affairs]] and failed to empower the people of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, allowing genuine self-government for only a short period in the 1970s. According to the interim constitution that was drawn up in the 1970s, the only political parties that are allowed to exist are those that pay allegiance to Pakistan: "No person or political party in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir shall be permitted... activities prejudicial or detrimental to the State's accession to Pakistan."<ref name="Snedden 2013"/> The pro-independence [[Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front]] has never been allowed to contest elections in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.{{sfn|Bose|2003|p=100}} While the interim constitution does not give them a choice, the people of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir have not considered any option other than joining Pakistan.<ref name="Snedden 2013"/>
==Development==
According to the project report by the [[Asian Development Bank]], the bank has set out development goals for Pakistan Occupied Kashmir in the areas of health, education, nutrition, and social development. The whole project is estimated to cost US$76 million.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/project-document/69690/rrp-pak-38135.pdf |title=Report and Recommendation of the President to the Board of Directors on a Proposed Loan to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan for the Multisector Rehabilitation and Improvement Project for Pakistan Occupied Kashmir |publisher=Asian Development Bank |date=November 2004 |access-date=April 6, 2020}}</ref> [[Germany]], between 2006 and 2014, has also donated $38 million towards the POK Health Infrastructure Programme.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.un.org.pk/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Pakistan-Donor-Profile-and-Mapping-by-UN.pdf |title=Pakistan Donor Profile and Mapping |publisher=United Nations in Pakistan |date=August 2014 |access-date=February 5, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171215181230/http://www.un.org.pk/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Pakistan-Donor-Profile-and-Mapping-by-UN.pdf |archive-date=December 15, 2017 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>
==Administrative divisions==
[[File:Pakistan is full of breathtaking views - Muzafarabad.JPG|thumb|Muzaffarabad, the capital city of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir]]
The state is administratively divided into three [[Division (Pakistan)|divisions]] which, in turn, are divided into ten [[District (Pakistan)|districts]].<ref>
{{cite web|url=http://www.ajk.gov.pk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=24&Itemid=8|title= Administrative Setup.|publisher= POK.gov.pk|access-date= May 17, 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100409161504/http://www.ajk.gov.pk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=24&Itemid=8| archive-date= April 9, 2010 | url-status=live}}
</ref>
{| class="sortable wikitable"
|-
!Division
!District
!Area (km<sup>2</sup>)
!Population (2017 Census)
!Headquarters
|-
|'''Mirpur'''||[[Mirpur District|Mirpur]]||1,010
|456,200
|[[New Mirpur City]]
|-
| ||[[Kotli District|Kotli]]||1,862
|774,194
|[[Kotli]]
|-
| ||[[Bhimber District|Bhimber]]||1,516||420,624
|[[Bhimber]]
|-
|'''Muzaffarabad'''||[[Muzaffarabad District|Muzaffarabad]] ||1,642
|650,370||[[Muzaffarabad]]
|-
| ||[[Hattian District|Hattian]]||854
|230,529
|[[Hattian Bala]]
|-
| ||[[Neelam District|Neelam Valley]]||3,621||191,251
|[[Athmuqam]]
|-
|'''Poonch'''||[[Poonch District (POK)|Poonch]]||855||500,571
|[[Rawalakot]]
|-
| ||[[Haveli District|Haveli]]||600||152,124
|[[Forward Kahuta]]
|-
| ||[[Bagh District|Bagh]]||768||371,919
|[[Bagh, Kashmir|Bagh]]
|-
| ||[[Sudhanoti District|Sudhanoti]]||569||297,584
|[[Palandri]]
|- style="background:#e6e6e6"
<!--
| colspan=5 style="background: black" |
|- style="border: 3px solid darkgray;"-->
|'''Total'''
|10 districts
|13,297
|4,045,366
|[[Muzaffarabad]]
|}
[[File:Greeny view of dirkot park from neela but road.jpg|thumb|Dhirkot Park, [[Bagh District]]]]
==Climate==
[[File:Azad Kashmir Landscape.JPG|thumbnail|Landscape of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir]]
The southern parts of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, including the Bhimber, Mirpur, and Kotli districts, have extremely hot weather in the summer and moderate cold weather in the winter. They receive rain mostly in [[monsoon]] weather.{{citation needed|date=July 2019}}
[[File:World Köppen Classification Kashmir.png|thumb|Map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification]]
In the central and northern parts of the state, weather remains moderately hot in the summer and cold and chilly in the winter. Snowfall also occurs there in December and January.{{citation needed|date=July 2019}}
The region receives rainfall in both the winter and the summer. [[Muzaffarabad]] and Pattan are among the wettest areas of the state, but they don't receive snow. Throughout most of the region, the average rainfall exceeds 1400&nbsp;mm, with the highest average rainfall occurring near Muzaffarabad (around 1800&nbsp;mm). During summer, monsoon floods of the [[Jhelum River|Jhelum]] and Leepa rivers are common, due to high rainfall and melting snow.{{citation needed|date=July 2019}}
==Demographics==
===Population===
The population of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, according to the preliminary results of [[2017 Census of Pakistan|the 2017 Census]], is 4.45 million.<ref>{{cite web| date = August 26, 2017| title = Census 2017: POK population rises to over 4m| work = The Nation| url = https://nation.com.pk/27-Aug-2017/census-2017-POK-population-rises-to-over-4m| access-date = June 10, 2018}}</ref> The website of the POK government reports the literacy rate to be 74%, with the enrolment rate in primary school being 98% and 90% for boys and girls respectively.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.ajk.gov.pk/qStatus.php |title= POK at a Glance |access-date= June 10, 2018}}</ref>
The population of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir is almost entirely Muslim. The people of this region culturally differ from the [[Kashmiri people|Kashmiris]] living in the [[Kashmir Valley]] of [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]] and are closer to the culture of [[Jammu Division|Jammu]]. [[Mirpur, Pakistan Occupied Kashmir|Mirpur]], [[Kotli]], and [[Bhimber]] are all old towns of the Jammu region.<ref name="HRW report">{{Cite report |publisher=Human Rights Watch|date=September 2006|title=With Friends Like These...|url=https://www.hrw.org/reports/2006/pakistan0906/3.htm|access-date=November 24, 2013|volume=18|issue=2}}</ref>
===Religion===
Pakistan Occupied Kashmir has an almost entirely Muslim population. According to data maintained by Christian community organizations, there are around 4,500 Christian residents in the region. Bhimber is home to most of them, followed by Mirpur and Muzaffarabad. A few dozen families also live in Kotli, Poonch, and Bagh.
However, the Christian community has been struggling to get residential status and property rights in POK. There is no official data on the total number of Bahais in POK. Only six Bahai families are known to be living in Muzaffarabad with others living in rural areas.
The followers of the Ahmadi faith are estimated to be somewhere between 20,000 and 25,000, and most of them live in Kotli, Mirpur, Bhimber, and Muzaffarabad.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://asianlite.com/news/asia-diaspora-news/the-plight-of-minorities-in-azad-kashmir/ |title=The Plight of Minorities in 'Pakistan Occupied Kashmir' |publisher=Asianlite.com |date=January 14, 2019 |access-date=April 6, 2020}}</ref>
===Ethnic groups===
Most residents of the region are not ethnic Kashmiris.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a19eCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT23|title=Understanding Kashmir and Kashmiris|last=Snedden|first=Christopher|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2015|isbn=978-1-84904-622-0|page=23|quote=Confusingly, the term 'Kashmiri' also has wider connotations and uses. Some people in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir call themselves 'Kashmiris'. That is despite the fact that most Pakistan Occupied Kashmiris are not of Kashmiri ethnicity.}}</ref> Rather, the majority of people in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir are [[Pahari people (Kashmir)|Pahari people]], who are ethnically related to Punjabis.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kennedy |first=Charles H. |chapter=Pakistan: Ethnic Diversity and Colonial Legacy |editor=John Coakley |title=The Territorial Management of Ethnic Conflict |date=August 2, 2004 |publisher=Routledge |page=153 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nEqRAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA153 |isbn=9781135764425}}</ref><ref>{{citation |title=Kashmir Crisis: View from Mirpur |first=Roger |last=Ballard |url=https://casas.org.uk/papers/pdfpapers/kashmir.pdf |journal=[[Economic and Political Weekly]] |volume=26 |number=9/10 |date=2 March 1991 |pages=513–517 |jstor=4397403 |quote="... they are best seen as forming the eastern and northern limits of the Potohari Punjabi culture which is otherwise characteristic of the upland parts of Rawalpindi and Jhelum Districts" |access-date=July 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304034904/http://casas.org.uk/papers/pdfpapers/kashmir.pdf |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
The main communities living in this region are:<ref name="The Role of Biradaris">{{harvnb|Snedden|2013|loc=Role of Biradaries (pp.&nbsp;128–133)}}</ref>
*[[Gujjars]] – They are an agricultural tribe and are estimated to be the largest community living in the ten districts of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.<ref name="The Role of Biradaris" /><ref name="Poonch Profile">{{cite web |url=http://www.erra.pk/Reports/KMC/RawlakotProfile200907.pdf |title=District Profile - Rawalakot/Poonch |publisher=Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority |date=July 2007 |access-date=August 31, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924001855/http://www.erra.pk/Reports/KMC/RawlakotProfile200907.pdf |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Bagh Profile">{{cite web |url=http://www.erra.pk/Reports/KMC/BaghProfile200907.pdf |title=District Profile - Bagh |publisher=Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority |date=June 2007 |access-date=August 31, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924001853/http://www.erra.pk/Reports/KMC/BaghProfile200907.pdf |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*[[Sudhans]] – (also known as Sadozai, Sardar) are the second largest tribe, living mainly in the districts of [[Poonch district, Pakistan|Poonch]], [[Sudhanoti District|Sudhanoti]], [[Bagh District|Bagh]], and [[Kotli District|Kotli]] in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, and allegedly originating from the [[Pashtuns|Pashtun]] areas.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Untold Story of the People of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=autVo01f2AsC |publisher=Columbia University Press |page=xix|first=Christopher |last=Snedden|year = 2012|isbn = 9780231800204|quote=Sudhan/Sudhozai – one of the main tribes of (southern) Poonch, allegedly originating from Pashtun areas.}}</ref><ref name="The Role of Biradaris" /><ref name="Poonch Profile" /> Together with the Rajputs, they are the source of most of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir's political leaders.<ref name="hrw.org">{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/reports/2006/pakistan0906/3.htm|title="With Friends Like These...": Human Rights Violations in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir: II. Background|publisher=Human Rights Watch|access-date=June 14, 2019}}</ref>
*[[Jats of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir|Jats]] – They are one of the larger communities of POK and primarily inhabit the districts of Mirpur, Bhimber, and Kotli. A large [[British Mirpuris|Mirpuri]] population lives in the U.K. and it is estimated that more people of Mirpuri origins are now residing in the U.K. than in the Mirpur district, which retains strong ties with the U.K.<ref name="The Role of Biradaris" /><ref>{{cite news|last=Moss |first=Paul |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6178092.stm |title=South Asia &#124; The limits to integration |work=BBC News |date=November 30, 2006 |access-date=June 5, 2010}}
</ref>
*[[Rajput]]s – They are spread across the territory, and they number a little under half a million. Together with the Sundhans, they are the source of most of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir's political class.<ref name="hrw.org"/>
*[[Mughal tribe|Mughals]] – Largely located in the [[Bagh, Pakistan Occupied Kashmir|Bagh]] and [[Muzaffarabad]] districts.<ref name="Bagh Profile" />
*[[Awan (tribe)|Awans]] – A clan with significant numbers in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, living mainly in the [[Bagh District|Bagh]], [[Poonch District, Pakistan|Poonch]], Hattian Bala, and [[Muzaffarabad District|Muzaffarabad]]. Awans also reside in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in large numbers.<ref name="The Role of Biradaris" /><ref name="Poonch Profile" /><ref name="Bagh Profile" />
*[[Dhund (tribe)|Dhund]] – They are a large clan in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and live mostly in the [[Bagh District|Bagh]], [[Hattian Bala District|Hattian Bala]], and Muzaffarabad districts. They also inhabit Abbottabad and upper Potohar Punjab in large numbers.<ref name="The Role of Biradaris" /><ref name="Poonch Profile" /><ref name="Bagh Profile" />
*[[Kashmiris]] – Ethnic Kashmiri populations are found in the [[Neelam Valley]] and the [[Leepa Valley]] (see [[Kashmiris in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir]]).<ref name="Snedden 20152">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a19eCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT23|title=Understanding Kashmir and Kashmiris|last=Snedden|first=Christopher|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2015|isbn=978-1-84904-622-0|page=23}}</ref>
The culture of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir has many similarities to that of the northern Punjabi ([[Pothohar Plateau|Potohar]]) culture in [[Punjab (Pakistan)|Punjab]] province, whereas the [[Sudhans]] have the oral tradition of the [[Pashtuns]]. The [[Peshawari turban]] is worn by some [[Sudhans]] in the area.{{citation needed|date=November 2019}}
The traditional dress of the women is the [[shalwar kameez]] in Pahari style. The shalwar kameez is commonly worn by both men and women. Women use a shawl to cover their head and upper body.
===Languages===
The official language of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir is [[Urdu]],{{sfn|Rahman|1996|p=226}}<ref group="note">{{harvtxt|Snedden|2013|p=176}}: On p.&nbsp;29, the census report states that Urdu is the official language of the government of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, with Kashmiri, Pahari, Gojri, Punjabi, Kohistani, Pushto, and Sheena 'frequently spoken in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir'. Yet, when surveyed about their 'mother tongue', Pakistan Occupied Kashmiris' choices were limited to selecting from Pakistan's major languages: Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pushto, Balochi, Saraiki, and 'others'; not surprisingly, 2.18 million of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir's 2.97 million people chose 'others'.</ref> while [[English in Pakistan|English]] is used in higher [[Domain of language use|domains]]. The majority of the population, however, are native speakers of other languages. The foremost among these is [[Pahari–Pothwari]] with its various dialects. There are also sizeable communities speaking [[Gujari language|Gujari]] and [[Kashmiri language|Kashmiri]] as well as pockets of speakers of [[Shina language|Shina]], [[Pashto]], and [[Kundal Shahi language|Kundal Shahi]]. With the exception of Pashto and English, those languages belong to the [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indo-Aryan]] language family.
The dialects of the [[Pahari-Pothwari]] language complex cover most of the territory of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. Those are also spoken across the Line of Control in the neighbouring areas of Indian Jammu and Kashmir, and are closely related both to [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]] to the south and [[Northern Hindko|Hinko]] to the northwest. The language variety in the southern districts of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir is known by a variety of names – including ''Mirpuri'', ''Pothwari'' and ''Pahari'' – and is closely related to the Pothwari proper spoken to the east in the [[Pothohar region]] of Punjab. The dialects of the central districts of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir are occasionally referred to in the literature as ''Chibhali'' or ''Punchi'', but the speakers themselves usually call them ''Pahari'', an ambiguous name that is also used for [[Pahari language (name)|several unrelated languages]] of the lower Himalayas. Going north, the speech forms gradually change into Hindko. Today, in the [[Muzaffarabad District]] the preferred local name for the language is ''Hindko'', although it is still apparently more closely related to the core dialects of Pahari.<ref>The preceding paragraph is mostly based on {{harvtxt|Lothers|Lothers|2010}}. For further references, see the bibliography in [[Pahari-Pothwari]].</ref> Further north in the [[Neelam Valley]] the dialect, locally also known as ''Parmi'', can more unambiguously be subsumed under Hindko.{{sfn|Akhtar|Rehman|2007|p=68|ps = . The conclusion is based on lexical similarity and the comparison is with the Hindko of the [[Kaghan Valley]] and with the Pahari of the Murree Hills.}}
Another major language of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir is [[Gujari language|Gujari]]. It is spoken by several hundred thousand<ref group="note">{{harvtxt|Hallberg|O'Leary|1992|p=96}} report two rough estimates for the total population of Gujari speakes in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir: 200,000 and 700,000, both from the 1980s.</ref> people among the traditionally nomadic [[Gujars]], many of whom are nowadays settled. Not all ethnic Gujars speak Gujari, the proportion of those who have shifted to other languages is probably higher in southern Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.{{sfn|Hallberg|O'Leary|1992|pp=96, 98, 100}} Gujari is most closely related to the [[Rajasthani languages]] (particularly [[Mewati language|Mewati]]), although it also shares features with Punjabi.{{sfn|Hallberg|O'Leary|1992|pp=93–94}} It is dispersed over large areas in northern Pakistan and India. Within Pakistan, the Gujari dialects of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir are more similar, in terms of shared basic vocabulary and mutual intelligibility, to the Gujar varieties of the neighbouring [[Hazara region]] than to the dialects spoken further to the northwest in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and north in [[Gilgit District|Gilgit]].{{sfn|Hallberg|O'Leary|1992|pp=111–12, 126}}
There are scattered communities of [[Kashmiri language|Kashmiri]] speakers,<ref>{{harvnb|Rahman|2002|p=449}}; {{harvnb|Rahman|1996|p=226}}</ref> notably in the [[Neelam Valley]], where they form the second-largest language group after speakers of Hindko.{{sfn|Akhtar|Rehman|2007|p=70}} There have been calls for the teaching of Kashmiri (particularly in order to counter India's claim of promoting the culture of Kashmir), but the limited attempts at introducing the language at the secondary school level have not been successful, and it is Urdu, rather than Kashmiri, that Kashmiri Muslims have seen as their identity symbol.<ref>{{harvnb|Rahman|1996|p=226}}; {{harvnb|Rahman|2002|pp=449–50}}. The discussion in both cases is in the broader context of Pakistan.</ref> There is an ongoing process of gradual [[language shift|shift]] to larger local languages,{{sfn|Rahman|1996|p=226}} but at least in the Neelam Valley there still exist communities for whom Kashmiri is the sole mother tongue.{{sfn|Akhtar|Rehman|2007|pp=70, 75}}
In the northernmost [[Neelum District#Languages|district of Neelam]], there are pockets of other languages. [[Shina language|Shina]], which like Kashmiri belongs to the [[Dardic languages|Dardic]] group, is present in two distinct varieties spoken altogether in three villages. The [[Iranian language]] [[Pashto]], the major language of the neighbouring province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is spoken in two villages in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, both situated on the Line of Control. The endangered [[Kundal Shahi language|Kundal Shahi]] is native to the eponymous village and it is the only language not found outside Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.{{sfn|Akhtar|Rehman|2007}}
==Economy==
[[File:Sharda Kashmir.jpg|thumb|Neelum valley is a tourist destination in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.]]
As of 2021, GDP of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir was estimated to be 6.5 billion dollars, giving per capita income of 1,512 dollar USD.<ref>http://www.ajk.gov.pk › POK-at-a-glance|POK At A Glance-POK Official Portal - POK Gov</ref> Historically the economy of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir has been agricultural which meant that land was the main source or mean of production. This means that all food for immediate and long term consumption was produced from land. The produce included various crops, fruits, vegetables, etc. Land was also the source of other livelihood necessities such as wood, fuel, grazing for animals which then turned into dairy products. Because of this land was also the main source of revenue for the governments whose primary purpose for centuries was to accumulate revenue.<ref>
{{cite web|url=http://www.pndPOK.gov.pk/history.asp|title=History of Planning & Development Department in POK|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100411051833/http://www.pndPOK.gov.pk/history.asp|archive-date=April 11, 2010}}
</ref>
Agriculture is a major part of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir's economy. Low-lying areas that have high populations grow crops like [[barley]], [[mango]]es, [[millet]], [[maize|corn]] (maize), and [[wheat]], and also raise cattle. In the elevated areas that are less populated and more spread-out, forestry, corn, and livestock are the main sources of income. There are mineral and marble resources in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir close to [[Mirpur, Pakistan Occupied Kashmir|Mirpur]] and [[Muzaffarabad]]. There are also graphite deposits at Mohriwali. There are also reservoirs of low-grade coal, [[chalk]], [[bauxite]], and [[zircon]]. Local household industries produce carved wooden objects, textiles, and dhurrie carpets.<ref name=brit/> There is also an arts and crafts industry that produces such cultural goods as namdas, shawls, pashmina, pherans, [[Papier-mâché]], basketry copper, rugs, wood carving, silk and woolen clothing, patto, carpets, namda gubba, and silverware. Agricultural goods produced in the region include mushrooms, honey, walnuts, apples, cherries, medicinal herbs and plants, resin, deodar, kail, chir, fir, maple, and ash timber.<ref name=brit/><ref name=POK144/><ref>
{{cite web|url=http://www.ajk.gov.pk/tourism/administrative.html|title=Azad Jammu & Kashmir&nbsp;– Tourism|access-date=June 22, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080529093455/http://www.ajk.gov.pk/tourism/administrative.html|archive-date=May 29, 2008}}
</ref>
[[File:People having Fun at Munda Gali Leepa POK.jpg|thumbnail|Munda Gali, [[Leepa Valley]]]]
The migration to UK was accelerated and by the completion of [[Mangla Dam]] in 1967 the process of '[[chain migration]]' became in full flow. Today, remittances from [[British Mirpuri]] community make a critical role in POK's economy. In the mid-1950s various economic and social development processes were launched in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. In the 1960s, with the construction of the [[Mangla Dam]] in [[Mirpur District]], the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir Government began to receive royalties from the Pakistani government for the electricity that the dam provided to Pakistan. During the mid-2000s, a multibillion-dollar reconstruction began in the aftermath of the [[2005 Kashmir earthquake]].<ref name="dawn.com">
{{cite news|url=http://www.dawn.com/2006/10/01/nat9.htm|title='Rs1.25 trillion to be spent in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir': Reconstruction in quake-hit zone|last=Naqash|first=Tariq|date=October 1, 2006|work=[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]]|location=Muzaffarabad}}
</ref>
In addition to agriculture, textiles, and arts and crafts, remittances have played a major role in the economy of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. One analyst estimated that the figure for Pakistan Occupied Kashmir was 25.1% in 2001. With regard to annual household income, people living in the higher areas are more dependent on remittances than are those living in the lower areas.<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.sdpi.org/whats_new/recent_publications/BGPaper_Remittances_Pakistan.pdf
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070822170408/http://www.sdpi.org/whats_new/recent_publications/BGPaper_Remittances_Pakistan.pdf
|url-status=dead
|archive-date=August 22, 2007
|title=Remittances in crises: a case study from Pakistan
|first1=Abid Qaiyum
|last1=Suleri
|first2=Kevin
|last2=Savage
|access-date=June 5, 2010
}}
</ref> 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 Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, though much of that amount was subsequently lost in bureaucratic channels, leading to considerable delays in help getting to the most neediest. Hundreds of people continued to live in tents long after the earthquake.<ref name="dawn.com"/> A land-use plan for the city of [[Muzaffarabad]] was prepared by the [[Japan International Cooperation Agency]].
Tourist destinations in the area include the following:
*'''[[Muzaffarabad]]''', the capital city of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, is located on the banks of the Jhelum and Neelum rivers. It is {{convert|138|km|abbr=on}} from [[Rawalpindi]] and [[Islamabad]]. Well-known tourist spots near Muzaffarabad are the [[Muzaffarabad Fort|Red Fort]], [[Pirchinassi|Pir Chinassi]], Patika, [[Subri Lake]] and [[Awan Patti]].
*The '''[[Neelam Valley]]''' is situated to the north and northeast of Muzaffarabad, The gateway to the valley. The main tourist attractions in the valley are [[Athmuqam]], [[Kutton]], [[Keran, Pakistan Occupied Kashmir|Keran]], [[Changan, Pakistan Occupied Kashmir|Changan]], [[Sharda, Pakistan Occupied Kashmir|Sharda]], [[Kel, Kashmir|Kel]], [[Arang Kel]] and [[Taobat]].
*'''[[Sudhanoti]]''' is one of the eight districts of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir in Pakistan. Sudhanoti is located {{convert|90|km|abbr=on}} away from Islamabad, the Capital of Pakistan. It is connected with Rawalpindi and Islamabad through Azad Pattan road.
*'''[[Rawalakot]]''' city is the headquarters of Poonch District and is located {{convert|122|km|abbr=on}} from Islamabad. Tourist attractions in Poonch District are [[Banjosa Lake]], [[Devi Gali]], [[Tatta Pani]], and [[Toli Pir]].
*'''[[Bagh, Pakistan Occupied Kashmir|Bagh]]''' city, the headquarters of Bagh District, is {{convert|205|km|abbr=on}} from Islamabad and {{convert|100|km|abbr=on}} from Muzaffarabad. The principal tourist attractions in Bagh District are Bagh Fort, [[Dhirkot]], [[Sudhan Gali]], [[Ganga Lake (Pakistan)|Ganga Lake]], [[Ganga Choti]], [[Kotla Waterfall, Bagh|Kotla Waterfall]], [[Neela Butt]], [[Danna, Bagh|Danna]], [[Panjal Mastan]] National Park, and [[Las Danna]].
*The '''[[Leepa Valley]]''' is located {{convert|105|km|abbr=on}} southeast of Muzaffarabad. It is the most charming and scenic place for tourists in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.
*'''[[New Mirpur City]]''' is the headquarters of Mirpur District. The main tourist attractions near [[New Mirpur City]] are the [[Mangla Dam|Mangla Lake]] and [[Ramkot Fort]].
==Education==
[[Image:Mirpur University of Science and Technology (mechanical department).jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|Mirpur University of Science and Technology]]
The literacy rate in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir was 62% in 2004, higher than in any other region of Pakistan.<ref>
{{cite news
|url=http://pakistantimes.net/2004/09/27/kashmir5.htm
|title=Literacy Rate in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir nearly 62 pc
|date=September 27, 2004
|work=[[Pakistan Times]]
|location=MUZAFFARABAD (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir)
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050227011515/http://pakistantimes.net/2004/09/27/kashmir5.htm
|archive-date=February 27, 2005
}}
</ref> The current literacy rate of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir is 76.60% in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|title=POK at a Glance 2018 pndPOK.gov.pk|url=https://www.pndPOK.gov.pk/uploadfiles/downloads/Final%20POK%20at%20a%20Glance.pdf|url-status=live|website=Planning & Development Department POK}}</ref> And it remained at 76.80% in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|title=POK at a Glance 2019|url=https://pndPOK.gov.pk/uploadfiles/downloads/POK%20at%20a%20Glance%202019.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> However, only 2.2% were graduates, compared to the average of 2.9% for Pakistan.<ref>
{{cite news
|url=http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_17-4-2005_pg7_37
|title=Washington conference studies educational crisis in Pakistan
|last=Hasan
|first=Khalid
|date=April 17, 2005
|work=[[Daily Times (Pakistan)|Daily Times]]
|location=Washington
|quote=Grace Clark told the conference that only 2.9% of Pakistanis had access to higher education.
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607034448/http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_17-4-2005_pg7_37
|archive-date=June 7, 2011
}}
</ref>
===Universities===
The following is a list of universities recognised by [[Higher Education Commission of Pakistan]] (HEC):<ref>
{{cite web|url=http://www.hec.gov.pk/OurInstitutes/Pages/Default.aspx |title=Our Institutions |publisher=[[Higher Education Commission of Pakistan]] |access-date=November 19, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029200812/http://www.hec.gov.pk/ourinstitutes/pages/default.aspx |archive-date=October 29, 2013 }}
</ref>
{{clear}}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left;"
|-
! University
! Location(s)
! Established
! Type
! Specialization
! Website
|-
|[[Mirpur University of Science and Technology|Mirpur University of Science and Technology, Mirpur]]
|[[Mirpur, Pakistan Occupied Kashmir|Mirpur]]
|1980 <small>(2008)*</small>
|Public
|Engineering & Technology
|[http://www.must.edu.pk/]
|-
|[[Al-Khair University]]
|Mirpur
|1994 <small>(2011*)</small>
|Private
|General
|[http://www.alkhair.edu.pk/]
|-
|[[Mohi-ud-Din Islamic University]]
|[[Nerian Sharif]]
|2000
|Private
|General
|[http://www.miu.edu.pk/]
|-
|[[University of Poonch]] (Rawlakot Campus)
|[[Rawalakot]]
|1980 <small>(2012)*</small>
|Public
|General
|[http://www.upr.edu.pk/index.php]
|-
|[[University of Poonch]] ( SM Campus, Mong, Sudhnoti District)
|[[Sudhnoti District]]
|2014
|Public
|General
|[http://www.upr.edu.pk/?option=articles&id=192]
|-
|[[University of Poonch]] ( Kahuta Campus, Haveli District)
|[[Haveli District]]
|2015
|Public
|General
|[http://www.upr.edu.pk/?option=articles&id=192]
|-
|[[University of Management Sciences and Information Technology]]
|[[Kotli, Pakistan Occupied Kashmir|Kotli]]
|2014
|Public
|General
|[https://web.archive.org/web/20141108144942/http://www.umsit.edu.pk/]
|-
|[[Mirpur University of Science and Technology]] ( Bhimber Campus)
|[[Bhimber, Pakistan Occupied Kashmir|Bhimber]]
|2013
|Public
|Science & Humanities
|[http://www.must.edu.pk/]
|}
<small>* Granted university status.</small>
====Cadet College Pallandri====
* [[Cadet College Palandri]] is situated about {{convert|100|km|abbr=on}} from Islamabad
===Medical colleges===
The following is a list of undergraduate medical institutions recognised by [[Pakistan Medical and Dental Council]] (PMDC) {{as of|2013|lc=y}}.<ref>
{{cite web|url=http://www.pmdc.org.pk/AboutUs/RecognizedMedicalDentalColleges/tabid/109/Default.aspx |title=Recognized medical colleges in Pakistan |publisher=[[Pakistan Medical and Dental Council]] |access-date=November 19, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100819060118/http://www.pmdc.org.pk/AboutUs/RecognizedMedicalDentalColleges/tabid/109/Default.aspx |archive-date=August 19, 2010 }}
</ref>
*[[Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Medical College]] in [[Mirpur, Pakistan Occupied Kashmir|Mirpur]]
*[[Azad Jammu Kashmir Medical College]] in [[Muzafarabad]]
*[[Poonch Medical College]] in [[Rawalakot]]
====Private medical colleges====
*[[Mohi-ud-Din Islamic Medical College]] in [[Mirpur, Pakistan Occupied Kashmir|Mirpur]]
==Sports==
Football, cricket and volleyball are very popular in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. Many tournaments are also held throughout the year and in the holy month of [[Ramadan (calendar month)|Ramazan]], night-time flood-lit tournaments are also organised.
Pakistan Occupied Kashmir has a T20 [[POK Jaguars|cricket team]] in [[HAIER T20 Cup|Pakistan's T20 domestic tournament]]
New Mirpur City has a cricket stadium ([[Quaid-e-Azam Stadium]]) which has been taken over by the [[Pakistan Cricket Board]] for renovation to bring it up to International standards. There is also a cricket stadium in [[Muzaffarabad]] with the capacity of 8,000 people. This stadium has hosted 8 matches of Inter-District Under 19 Tournament 2013.
There are also registered football clubs:
* Pilot Football Club
* Youth Football Club
* Kashmir National FC
* Azad Super FC
==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=note}}
==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
; Sources
* {{cite journal| last1 = Akhtar| first1 = Raja Nasim| last2 = Rehman| first2 = Khawaja A.|year = 2007| title = The Languages of the Neelam Valley| journal = Kashmir Journal of Language Research| volume = 10| issue = 1| issn = 1028-6640| pages = 65–84}}
* {{citation |first=Navnita Chadha |last=Behera |title=Demystifying Kashmir |publisher=Pearson Education India |year=2007 |isbn=978-8131708460 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qM6kW9ZRMRkC |ref={{sfnref|Behera, Demystifying Kashmir|2007}}}}
* {{cite book |first=Sumantra |last=Bose |author-link=Sumantra Bose |title=Kashmir: Roots of Conflict, Paths to Peace |publisher=Harvard University Press |year=2003 |isbn=0-674-01173-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/00book939526581 }}
* {{citation |last=Ganai |first=Yousuf |title=Dogra Raj and the Struggle for Freedom in Kashmir |url=http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/handle/10603/33268 |publisher=University of Kashmir/Shodhganga |date=1999 |ref={{sfnref|Ganai, Dogra Raj and the Struggle for Freedom in Kashmir|1999}}}}
* {{cite book| last1 = Hallberg| first1 = Calinda E.| last2 = O'Leary| first2 = Clare F.| editor-last1 = O'Leary| editor-first1 = Clare F.| editor-last2 = Rensch| editor-first2 = Calvin R.| editor-last3 = Hallberg| editor-first3 = Calinda E.| date = 1992| title = Hindko and Gujari| chapter = Dialect Variation and Multilingualism among Gujars of Pakistan| isbn = 969-8023-13-5| publisher = National Institute of Pakistan Studies, Quaid-i-Azam University and Summer Institute of Linguistics| location = Islamabad| series = Sociolinguistic Survey of Northern Pakistan| url = http://www.sil.org/resources/archives/38573| pages = 91–196}}
* {{citation |last=Kapoor |first=Sindhu |title=Politics of Protests in Jammu and Kashmir from 1925 to 1951 |publisher=University of Jammu/Shodhganga |url=http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/handle/10603/78307 |year=2014 |ref={{sfnref|Kapoor, Politics of Protests in Jammu and Kashmir|2014}}}}
* {{cite report| last1 = Lothers| first1 = Michael| last2 = Lothers| first2 = Laura|year = 2010| title = Pahari and Pothwari: a sociolinguistic survey| series = SIL Electronic Survey Reports| volume =  2010-012| url = https://www.sil.org/resources/publications/entry/9130}}
* {{cite book| last = Rahman| first = Tariq| author-link = Tariq Rahman| title = Language and politics in Pakistan| date = 1996| publisher = Oxford University Press| isbn = 978-0-19-577692-8}}
* {{cite book| last = Rahman| first = Tariq| author-link = Tariq Rahman| date = 2002| title = Language, ideology and power : language learning among the Muslims of Pakistan and North India| publisher = Oxford University Press| location = Karachi| isbn = 978-0-19-579644-5}}
* {{citation |last=Saraf |first=Muhammad Yusuf |title=Kashmiris Fight for Freedom, Volume 1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_egBAAAAMAAJ |year=2015 |orig-year=first published 1977 by Ferozsons |publisher=National Institute Kashmir Studies |location=Mirpur |ref={{sfnref|Saraf, Kashmiris Fight for Freedom, Volume 1|2015}}}}
** {{citation |last=Saraf |first=Muhammad Yusuf |title=Kashmiris Fight for Freedom, Volume 1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_egBAAAAMAAJ |year=1977 |publisher=Ferozsons |ref={{sfnref|Saraf, Kashmiris Fight for Freedom, Volume 1|1977}}}}
* {{citation |last=Saraf |first=Muhammad Yusuf |title=Kashmiris Fight for Freedom, Volume 2 |year=2015 |orig-year=first published 1979 by Ferozsons |publisher=National Institute Kashmir Studies |location=Mirpur |ref={{sfnref|Saraf, Kashmiris Fight for Freedom, Volume 2|2015}}}}
* {{cite book|first=Christopher |last=Snedden |author-link=Christopher Snedden |title=Kashmir: The Unwritten History |publisher=HarperCollins India |year=2013 |isbn=978-9350298985 |orig-year=first published as ''The Untold Story of the People of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir'', 2012 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0cPjAAAAQBAJ}}
==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last1=Mathur |first1=Shubh |chapter=Srinagar-Muzaffarabad-New York: A Kashmiri Family's Exile |editor-last1=Roy |editor-first1=Anjali Gera |editor-last2=Bhatia |editor-first2=Nandi |title=Partitioned Lives: Narratives of Home, Displacement and Resettlement |publisher=Pearson Education India |year=2008 |isbn=978-9332506206}}
* {{cite book |first=Victoria |last=Schoefield |title=Kashmir in Conflict |publisher=I. B. Taurus & Co |location=London and New York |year=2003 |orig-year=First published in 2000 |isbn=1860648983 |url=https://archive.org/details/00book584554548 }}
==External links==
* {{Official website|http://www.ajk.gov.pk/ }}
[[Category:Pakistan Occupied Kashmir| ]]
[[Category:Disputed territories in Asia]]
[[Category:Foreign relations of Pakistan]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1947]]
[[Category:Subdivisions of Pakistan]]
[[Category:Territorial disputes of India]]
[[Category:2005 Kashmir earthquake]]
[[Category:Urdu-speaking countries and territories]]
[[Category:Kashmiri-speaking countries and territories]]

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