Sudhanoti District: Difference between revisions

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{{More citations needed|date=March 2022}}
{{Short description|District in Azad Jammu and Kashmir}}
{{Use Pakistani English|date=December 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2023}}  
{{Infobox settlement
{{Infobox settlement
| name                   = Sudhanoti District
| name = Sudhanoti District
| official_name           =  
| official_name =
| native_name             = {{nq|ضلع سدھنوتی}}
| native_name = {{nq|ضلع سدھنوتی}}
| native_name_lang       = ur
| native_name_lang = ur
| settlement_type         = [[List of districts in Azad Kashmir|District of Azad Kashmir]]
| settlement_type = [[List of districts in Azad Kashmir|District of Azad Kashmir]] administered by Pakistan<ref name=tertiary-kashmir/>
| image_skyline           = A view of Pallandri city and Cadet Collage Pallandri..jpg
| image_skyline = A view of Pallandri city and Cadet Collage Pallandri..jpg
| imagesize               =  
| imagesize =
| image_alt               =  
| image_alt =
| image_caption           = A view of Cadet College Pallandri in the Sudhanoti District
| image_caption = A view of Cadet College Pallandri in the Sudhanoti District
| image_map               = Pakistan - Azad Kashmir - Sudhnati.svg
| coordinates = {{coord|33|40|N|73|43|E|type:adm2nd_region:PK_dim:50000|display=inline,title}}
| mapsize                = 250px
| image_map = {{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-width=300 | frame-height=170|frame-align=center | zoom=4|type=point|title=Sudhanoti District|marker=district|type2=shape|stroke-width2=2|stroke-color2=#808080}}
| map_alt                =  
| map_caption = Interactive map of Sudhanoti district
| map_caption            = Map of Azad Kashmir with the Sudhanoti District highlighted in red
| image_map1 = Map of Sudhanoti.png
| subdivision_type       = Administering country
| map_caption1 = A map showing Sudhanoti district shaded in Yellow along with [[Poonch District, Pakistan|Poonch]] district
| subdivision_name       = [[Pakistan]]
| coor_pinpoint = Pallandri Tehsil
| subdivision_type1       = [[Administrative units of Pakistan|Territory]]
| subdivision_type = Administering country
| subdivision_name1       = [[Azad Kashmir]]
| subdivision_name = [[Pakistan]]
| subdivision_type2       = [[Divisions of Pakistan|Division]]
| subdivision_type1 = [[Administrative units of Pakistan|Territory]]
| subdivision_name2       = [[Poonch Division]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Azad Kashmir]]
| established_title       = Established
| subdivision_type2 = [[Divisions of Pakistan|Division]]
| established_date       =
| subdivision_name2 = [[Poonch Division]]
| founder                 =
| established_title = Established
| seat_type               = Headquarters
| established_date =
| seat                   = [[Pallandri]]
| founder =
| government_type         = District Administration
| seat_type = Headquarters
| leader_party           =  
| seat = [[Pallandri]]
| leader_title           = [[Deputy Commissioner (Pakistan)|Deputy Commissioner]]
| government_type = District Administration
| leader_name             = N/A
| leader_party =
| leader_title1           = District Police Officer
| leader_title = [[Deputy Commissioner (Pakistan)|Deputy Commissioner]]
| leader_name1           = N/A
| leader_name = N/A
| leader_title2           = District Health Officer
| leader_title1 = District Police Officer
| leader_name2           = N/A
| leader_name1 = N/A
| area_total_km2         = 569
| leader_title2 = District Health Officer
| population_total       = 297,584
| leader_name2 = N/A
| population_as_of       = 2017
| area_total_km2 = 569
| population_density_km2 = 523
| population_total = 297,584
| demographics_type1     = Languages
| population_as_of = 2017
| demographics1_title1               = Official
| population_footnotes = <ref name=city>{{cite web|url=http://www.citypopulation.de/AzadKashmir.html |url-status=dead|title=Population of Districts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir - Sudhanoti District population|website=Citypopulation.de website|archive-date=29 June 2020|access-date=19 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629022906/http://www.citypopulation.de/AzadKashmir.html}}</ref>
| demographics1_info1     = [[Urdu]]<ref>{{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| page = 226}}<!-- ref is only for Urdu's status in Azad Kashmir as a whole--></ref>
| population_density_km2 = 523
| demographics1_title2   = Spoken
| demographics_type1 = Languages
| demographics1_info2     = [[Pahari-Pothwari]]
| demographics1_title1 = Official
| timezone1               = [[Time in Pakistan|PST]]
| demographics1_info1 = [[Urdu]]<ref>{{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| page = 226}}<!-- ref is only for Urdu's status in Azad Kashmir as a whole--></ref>
| utc_offset1             = +5
| demographics1_title2 = Spoken
| blank_name_sec1         = District Council
| demographics1_info2 = [[Pahari (Poonchi)]], [[Gujari]], [[Pahari-Pothwari|Pothwari]]
| blank_info_sec1         =  
| timezone1 = [[Time in Pakistan|PST]]
| blank1_name_sec1       = Number of [[List of tehsils of Azad Kashmir|Tehsils]]
| utc_offset1 = +5
| blank1_info_sec1       = 4
| blank_name_sec1 = District Council
| website                 =  
| blank_info_sec1 =
| constituencies          = 2
| blank1_name_sec1 = Number of [[List of tehsils of Azad Kashmir|Tehsils]]
| blank1_info_sec1 = 4
| website = [https://sudhanoti.com/ sudhanoti.com]
}}
}}


The '''Sudhanoti District''' (also spelled '''Sudhnoti District''') ({{lang-ur|{{Nastaliq|ضلع سدھنوتی}}}}), meaning the "heartland of [[Sudhan]]s" or "[[Sudhan]] heartland"),<ref>{{Cite book |last=Watch (Organization) |first=Human Rights |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QfyEAAAAMAAJ&q=heartland+of+sudhans |title=Pakistan, with Friends Like These |date=2006 |publisher=Human Rights Watch |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=99WTTyxnkDYC&dq=heartland+of+sudhans&pg=PA13 |title=Human Rights Watch: "With Friends Like These..." |publisher=Human Rights Watch |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Talbot |first=Ian |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sXsmCwAAQBAJ&dq=heartland+sudhan&pg=PA23 |title=A History of Modern South Asia: Politics, States, Diasporas |date=2016-01-28 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-21659-2 |language=en}}</ref> is one of the 10 districts of [[Pakistan]]'s dependent territory of [[Azad Kashmir]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ajk.gov.pk/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2256&Itemid=144|title=AJ&K Portal|website=www.ajk.gov.pk}}</ref> The Sudhanoti District is bounded on the north and east by the [[Poonch District, Pakistan|Poonch District]],<ref name="pndajk.gov.pk">{{cite web|url=http://www.pndajk.gov.pk/ajk_glance2007.asp#DDSDAJK|title=Subdivisions of AJK}}</ref> on the south by the [[Kotli District]], and on the west by the [[Rawalpindi District]] of Pakistan's [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab Province]]. It is located {{convert|90|km}} from [[Islamabad]], the capital of Pakistan. It is connected with [[Rawalpindi]] and Islamabad via the Azad Pattan Road.
'''Sudhanoti''' (also called '''Sudhnoti''',<ref>{{cite web |first1=Government of the State of Jammu and Kashmir |last1 = Azad|title=AJ&K Map |url=https://ajk.gov.pk/ajk-map/ |website=Azad Government of the State of Jammu and Kashmir |access-date=15 July 2025}}</ref> {{langx|ur|{{Nastaliq|سدھنوتی}}}}) is one of the 10 districts of Pakistan-administered [[Azad Kashmir]] in the [[Kashmir#Dispute|disputed]] [[Kashmir]] region.<ref name="tertiary-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) through (e), reflecting [[WP:DUE|due weight]] in the coverage. Although "controlled" and "held" are also applied neutrally to the names of the disputants or to the regions administered by them, as evidenced in sources (h) through (i) below, "held" is also considered politicized usage, as is the term "occupied," (see (j) below).<br />
(a) {{citation|title=Kashmir, region Indian subcontinent|publisher=Encyclopaedia Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Kashmir-region-Indian-subcontinent |access-date=15 August 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: Azad 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.";<br />(b) {{citation|last1=Pletcher|first1=Kenneth|title=Aksai Chin, Plateau Region, Asia|publisher=Encyclopaedia Britannica|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Aksai-Chin |access-date=16 August 2019}} (subscription required) Quote: "Aksai Chin, Chinese (Pinyin) Aksayqin, portion of the Kashmir region, at the northernmost extent of the Indian subcontinent in south-central Asia. It constitutes nearly all the territory of the Chinese-administered sector of Kashmir that is claimed by India to be part of the Ladakh area of Jammu and Kashmir state.";<br />(c) {{citation|chapter=Kashmir|title=Encyclopedia Americana|publisher=Scholastic Library Publishing|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";<br />(d) {{citation|last1=Osmańczyk|first1=Edmund Jan|title=Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Agreements: G to M|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fSIMXHMdfkkC&pg=PA1191|year=2003|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-0-415-93922-5|pages=1191–}} Quote: "Jammu and Kashmir: Territory in northwestern India, subject to a dispute between India and Pakistan. It has borders with Pakistan and China."<br />(e) {{citation|last=Talbot|first=Ian|title=A History of Modern South Asia: Politics, States, Diasporas|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eNg_CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA28|year=2016|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=978-0-300-19694-8|pages=28–29}} Quote: "We move from a disputed international border to a dotted line on the map that represents a military border not recognized in international law. The line of control separates the Indian and Pakistani administered areas of the former Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir.";<br />(f) {{citation|last=Skutsch|first=Carl|editor-last=Ciment|editor-first=James|title=Encyclopedia of Conflicts Since World War II|edition=2nd|year=2015|orig-year=2007|isbn=978-0-7656-8005-1|chapter=China: Border War with India, 1962|location=London and New York|publisher=Routledge|page=573|quote=The situation between the two nations was complicated by the 1957–1959 uprising by Tibetans against Chinese rule. Refugees poured across the Indian border, and the Indian public was outraged. Any compromise with China on the border issue became impossible. Similarly, China was offended that India had given political asylum to the Dalai Lama when he fled across the border in March 1959. In late 1959, there were shots fired between border patrols operating along both the ill-defined McMahon Line and in the Aksai Chin.}}<br />(g) {{citation|last=Clary|first=Christopher|title=The Difficult Politics of Peace: Rivalry in Modern South Asia|date=25 February 2024 |publisher=Oxford University Press|location = Oxford and New York|isbn=9780197638408|page=109|quote=Territorial Dispute: The situation along the Sino-Indian frontier continued to worsen. In late July (1959), an Indian reconnaissance patrol was blocked, "apprehended," and eventually expelled after three weeks in custody at the hands of a larger Chinese force near Khurnak Fort in Aksai Chin. ... Circumstances worsened further in October 1959, when a major class at Kongka Pass in eastern Ladakh led to nine dead and ten captured Indian border personnel, making it by far the most serious Sino-Indian class since India's independence.}}<br />(h) {{citation|last=Bose|first=Sumantra|title=Kashmir: Roots of Conflict, Paths to Peace|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3ACMe9WBdNAC&pg=PA294|year=2009|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-02855-5|pages=294, 291, 293}} Quote: "J&K: Jammu and Kashmir. The former princely state that is the subject of the Kashmir dispute. Besides IJK (Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir. The larger and more populous part of the former princely state. It has a population of slightly over 10 million, and comprises three regions: Kashmir Valley, Jammu, and Ladakh.) and AJK ('Azad" (Free) Jammu and Kashmir. The more populous part of Pakistani-controlled J&K, with a population of approximately 2.5 million.), it includes the sparsely populated "Northern Areas" of Gilgit and Baltistan, remote mountainous regions which are directly administered, unlike AJK, by the Pakistani central authorities, and some high-altitude uninhabitable tracts under Chinese control."<br />(i) {{citation|last=Fisher|first=Michael H.|title=An Environmental History of India: From Earliest Times to the Twenty-First Century|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kZVuDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA166|year=2018|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-107-11162-2|page=166}} Quote: "Kashmir's identity remains hotly disputed with a UN-supervised "Line of Control" still separating Pakistani-held Azad ("Free") Kashmir from Indian-held Kashmir.";<br />(j) {{citation|last=Snedden|first=Christopher|title=Understanding Kashmir and Kashmiris|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5amKCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA10|year=2015|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-1-84904-621-3|page=10}} Quote:"Some politicised terms also are used to describe parts of J&K. These terms include the words 'occupied' and 'held'."
</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ajk.gov.pk/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2256&Itemid=144|title=AJ&K Portal|website=www.ajk.gov.pk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Bawa |first=Satinder Singh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UcUBAAAAMAAJ&q=1837+revolt+poonch |title=The Jammu Fox: A Biography of Maharaja Gulab Singh of Kashmir, 1792-1857 |date=1974 |publisher=Southern Illinois University Press |isbn=978-0-8093-0652-7 |language=en}}</ref> The Sudhanoti District is bounded on the north and east by the [[Poonch District, Pakistan|Poonch District]],<ref name="pndajk.gov.pk">{{cite web|url=http://www.pndajk.gov.pk/ajk_glance2007.asp#DDSDAJK|title=Subdivisions of AJK|access-date=24 May 2009|archive-date=5 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170405225014/http://pndajk.gov.pk/ajk_glance2007.asp#DDSDAJK|url-status=dead}}</ref> on the south by the [[Kotli District]], and on the west by the [[Rawalpindi District]] of Pakistan's [[Punjab, Pakistan|Punjab Province]]. It is located {{convert|90|km}} from [[Islamabad]], the capital of Pakistan. It is connected with [[Rawalpindi]] and Islamabad via the [[Azad Pattan]] Road. Historically, the tehsil of Sudhanoti established during the [[Dogra dynasty|Dogra]] period by Raja Moti Singh as part of the larger Poonch jagir included territories that are now part of the separate [[Poonch District, Pakistan|Poonch District]]. This included towns such as [[Rawalakot]] and [[Khaigala]], which historically lay within the greater, pre-partition Sudhanoti region.<ref>{{cite book |last=Grewal |first=J. S. |title=Poonch: India's Invincible Citadel |publisher=Lancer Publishers |year=2022 |quote=In the Dogra era, the tehsil of Sudhanoti also included the territories of the modern-day Poonch district in Azad Kashmir.}}</ref>


The district headquarters is the town of [[Pallandri]]. It is at an elevation of 1,372 meters and is at a distance of 97 kilometers from Rawalpindi via the Azad Pattan Road. Pallandri is connected to Rawalakot by a 64-km metaled road.
The district headquarters is the town of [[Pallandri]]. It lies at an elevation of 1,372 meters and is at a distance of 97 kilometers from Rawalpindi via the Azad Pattan Road. Pallandri is connected to [[Rawalakot]] by a 64-km metalled road.
[[File:Pakistan - Azad Kashmir - Sudhnati.svg|thumb|300px|right|Map of Azad Kashmir with the Sudhanoti District highlighted in red]]


== History ==
== Administrative divisions ==
The word ''Sudhanoti'' literally means "heartland of [[Sudhan]]s" ''[[Sudhan]]'' (tribe) ''Noti'' (heartland).{{Citation needed|date=March 2022}}
 
Sudhanoti, whose first name was Bhan Ya (Brahman) who was defeated by the [[Pashtun]] [[Sadozai (Pashtun tribe)|Sadozai]] invaders in the thirteenth century AD defeated the Bhagar Rajputs and named it Sudhanoti.<ref>TitlePunjabi MusalmansAuthorJ. M. WikeleyEdition2, revisedPublisherPakistan National Publishers, 1968Original fromthe University of CaliforniaDigitized8 Dec 2008Length163 pages
LIST OF AUTHORITIES CONSULTED I 'Punjabi Musalmans' by Captain Hamilton. The Gazetteers of the Punjab and North Western Frontier Province. 3 Census Report 1891, 1901, 1911 and 1931. 4 Tod's 'Rajasthan'. DS Thompson's 'History of India'. 427 5 6. Elphinstone's History of India'. McGrindle's 'Ancient India' W5 7 Handbooks an 'Rajputs, Jats and Gujars'. 9. Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North Western Frontier Province. 10 The Gypsies of India' by Mackeritchie. 11 "A History of the Mughals of Central Asia' by N. Elias and ED. Ros RJRRARY MAY 6 1970 UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO PRINTED BY : MUHAMMAD SAFED SHEIKIH AT ACCURATE PRINTERS AND PUBL ISAED BY HIM FOR THE BOOK HOUSE, LAHORE.
https://books.google.com.sa/books?redir_esc=y&id=4MMGAQAAIAAJ&dq=book+punjabi+muslim&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=The+Sudhans+having+defeated+the+Bagars%2C+seized+their+country+and+named+it+Sudhanoti%2C
The Sudhans having defeated the Bagars, seized their country and named it Sudhanoti,</ref> The state of Sudhanoti is one of the former ten states of [[Jammu and Kashmir]]{{disambiguation needed|date=February 2022}}, Its history is approximately one thousand twelve hundred years old which Sudhanoti was ruled by Brahmins from 830 to 1105 AD.
 
The Brahman Raj was invaded by the [[Rajputs]] of hill [[Punjab]] in 1005 and captured Sudhanoti in 1105, The Bhagar Rajputs ruled Sudhanoti from 1105 to 1360. The Bhagar Rajputs were then attacked by the [[Afghans|Afghan]] chief named Nawab Jassi Khan in 1360 AD, defeating them and establishing their own Sadozai government.
 
The [[Sadozai (Pashtun tribe)|Sadozai]] tribe ruled Sudhanoti from 1360 to 1837, Sudhanoti which from 800 to 1837 was called the fully independent state of Sudhanoti, came to an end in the Third Sikh Sudhanoti War, in which fifty to thirty thousand Sadozai people were killed. The Sikh Khalsa merged with the state of Poonch and brought it under the control of the Lahore government.
 
Later from 1940 to 1947 it was a tehsil of Jammu province, Thereafter in 1947 Sudhanoti became the capital of the Azad Kashmir Revolutionary Government, which was the capital of the Azad Kashmir Revolutionary Government from 1947 to 1949.
 
After that in 1960 Sudhanoti was divided into four districts and Sudhanoti was made a district<ref>''History of the Punjab Hill States'' by Hutchison and Vogel, reprinted edition, 2 volumes in 1 Chapter XXIV. 1933 AD</ref>
<ref>TitleMaulānā Āzād Subḥānī: taḥrīk-i āzādī ke ek muqtadir rahnumā
Issue 73 of Publication (Research Society of Pakistan)AuthorNabī Bak̲h̲shu K̲h̲ānu BalocuPublisherIdārah-yi Taḥqīqāt-i Pākistān, Dānishgāh-i Panjāb, 1989Original fromthe University of CaliforniaDigitized10 May 2007ISBN9694250714, 9789694250717Length327 pages Export CitationBiBTeX EndNote RefMan
https://books.google.com.sa/books?id=dKgyAAAAIAAJ&q=A+Hand+Book+on+Azad+Jammu+%26+Kashmir+Pirzada+Irshad+Ahmad+Nawab+Sons+Publication,+2003+-+347+pages&dq=A+Hand+Book+on+Azad+Jammu+%26+Kashmir+Pirzada+Irshad+Ahmad+Nawab+Sons+Publication,+2003+-+347+pages&hl=ur&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi1i-uF_432AhUUlFwKHbgoAZ4Q6AF6BAgJEAM
This book best describes the mountain states of Poonch</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Kashmir: The Unwritten History|last=Snedden|first=Christopher|publisher=Harper Collins Publishers|year=2013|isbn=978-9350298978|location=India}}</ref>
<ref name =statyearbook2019>{{cite web |url=https://www.pndajk.gov.pk/uploadfiles/downloads/AJ&K%20Statistical%20Year%20Book%202019.pdf |title=Statistical Year Book 2019 |access-date=20 April 2020 |website=Statistics Azad Jammu and Kashmir |archive-date=30 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630180136/https://www.pndajk.gov.pk/uploadfiles/downloads/AJ%26K%20Statistical%20Year%20Book%202019.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Cultural Heritage Sudhanoti
*Fort In Pune<ref>https://ur.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%82%D8%B9%D9%84%DB%81_%D8%A2%D8%A6%D9%86_%D9%BE%D9%88%D9%86%DB%81</ref>{{Circular reference|date=April 2022}}
*Fort Bharand<ref>https://ur.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%82%D9%84%D8%B9%DB%81_%D8%A8%DA%BE%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86%DA%88</ref>{{Circular reference|date=April 2022}}
*Fort Barel<ref>
https://ur.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%82%D9%84%D8%B9%DB%81_%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%84</ref>{{Circular reference|date=April 2022}}
*Fort Mandhol<ref>https://ur.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%82%D9%84%D8%B9%DB%81_%D9%85%D9%86%DA%88%DA%BE%D9%88%D9%84</ref>{{Circular reference|date=April 2022}}
 
==Administrative divisions==
The Sudhanoti District is divided into four [[tehsil]]s:<ref>{{cite web |title=Tehsils of Sudhnoti District on AJK map |url=https://www.ajk.gov.pk/ajkmap |website=ajk.gov.pk |publisher=AJK Official Portal |access-date=19 November 2019}}</ref>
The Sudhanoti District is divided into four [[tehsil]]s:<ref>{{cite web |title=Tehsils of Sudhnoti District on AJK map |url=https://www.ajk.gov.pk/ajkmap |website=ajk.gov.pk |publisher=AJK Official Portal |access-date=19 November 2019}}</ref>
* [[Balouch, Azad Kashmir|Baloch Tehsil]]
* [[Balouch, Azad Kashmir|Baloch Tehsil]]
* [[Mong, Azad Kashmir|Mang Tehsil]]
* [[Mong, Azad Kashmir|Mang Tehsil]]
Line 91: Line 70:
* [[Tarar Khel|Trarkhel Tehsil]]<ref name="pndajk.gov.pk"/>
* [[Tarar Khel|Trarkhel Tehsil]]<ref name="pndajk.gov.pk"/>


==Population==
== History ==
Sudhanoti has a population of 297,584 according to the [[2017 Census of Pakistan|2017 Census]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://nation.com.pk/national/27-Aug-2017/census-2017-ajk-population-rises-to-over-4m|title=Census 2017: AJK population rises to over 4m|work=The Nation|access-date=2017-09-01|language=en-US}}</ref>
Sudhnoti (now called Sudhanoti) was first established as a [[tehsil]] of the [[History of Poonch|Poonch jagir]] by [[Moti Singh (ruler)|Raja Moti Singh]], the ruler of Poonch in the second half of the 19th century. In the Dogra era, the tehsil of Sudhanoti also included the territories of the modern day [[Poonch District, Pakistan|Poonch district]] in Azad Kashmir.<ref name="grewal">{{Cite book |last=Grewal |first=Brigadier J. S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uOl-EAAAQBAJ |title=Poonch: India's Invincible Citadel |date=2022-08-01 |publisher=Lancer Publishers |isbn=978-81-7062-345-8 |pages=101–103, 105–107, 109–111 |language=en}}</ref>
 
== Population ==
The district is overwhelmingly dominated by the [[Sudhan]]s,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Khan |first1=Muhammad Faraz |last2=Mashwani |first2=Zia-ur-Rahman |last3=Mehmood |first3=Ansar |last4=Qureshi |first4=Rehmatullah |last5=Sarwar |first5=Rizwan |last6=Ahmad |first6=Khawaja Shafique |last7=Quave |first7=Cassandra L |title=An ethnopharmacological survey and comparative analysis of plants from the Sudhnoti District, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan |journal=Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine |date=2021 |volume=17 |issue=1 |page=14 |doi=10.1186/s13002-021-00435-2 |doi-access=free |pmid=33743778 |pmc=7980561 |quote=Owing to a unique tribal composition, where up to 85% of the district population belongs to the “Sudhan” tribe}}</ref> and the population of Sudhanoti was recorded as 297,584 in the [[2017 Census of Pakistan|2017 census]].<ref name=city/><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://nation.com.pk/national/27-Aug-2017/census-2017-ajk-population-rises-to-over-4m|title=Census 2017: AJK population rises to over 4m|work=The Nation|access-date=1 September 2017|language=en-US}}</ref>


The main native language is [[Pahari language (Kashmir)|Pahari]], spoken by an estimated 95% of the population.<ref>{{Cite book| title = Statistical Year Book 2020| place = Muzaffarabad| publisher = AJ&K Bureau Of Statistics| url = https://www.pndajk.gov.pk/uploadfiles/downloads/Statistical%20Year%20Book%202020.pdf| access-date = 3 March 2022| page = 140}}</ref><ref name="Shakil 2012">{{Cite web| last = Shakil| first = Mohsin| date = 2012| title = Languages of Erstwhile State of Jammu Kashmir (A Preliminary Study)| url = https://www.academia.edu/6485567| page = 12}}</ref>
The main native language is [[Pahari language (Kashmir)|Pahari]], spoken by an estimated 95% of the population.<ref>{{Cite book| title = Statistical Year Book 2020| place = Muzaffarabad| publisher = AJ&K Bureau Of Statistics| url = https://www.pndajk.gov.pk/uploadfiles/downloads/Statistical%20Year%20Book%202020.pdf| access-date = 3 March 2022| page = 140}}</ref><ref name="Shakil 2012">{{Cite web| last = Shakil| first = Mohsin| date = 2012| title = Languages of Erstwhile State of Jammu Kashmir (A Preliminary Study)| url = https://www.academia.edu/6485567| page = 12}}</ref>


==Education==
== Education ==
According to the Alif Ailaan Pakistan District Education Rankings 2017, Sudhanoti is ranked 34 out of 155 districts with a score of 68.85 in terms of education. For facilities and infrastructure, the district is ranked last with the very low score of 6.76.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pakistan District Education Rankings 2017 |url=https://elections.alifailaan.pk/wp-includes/file/DER17.pdf |website=elections.alifailaan.pk |publisher=[[Alif Ailaan]] |access-date=19 November 2019}}</ref>
According to the Alif Ailaan Pakistan District Education Rankings 2017, Sudhanoti is ranked 34 out of 155 districts with a score of 68.85 in terms of education. For facilities and infrastructure, the district is ranked last with the very low score of 6.76.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pakistan District Education Rankings 2017 |url=https://elections.alifailaan.pk/wp-includes/file/DER17.pdf |website=elections.alifailaan.pk |publisher=[[Alif Ailaan]] |access-date=19 November 2019 |archive-date=30 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180730105939/https://elections.alifailaan.pk/wp-includes/file/DER17.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>


Educational institutes include:
Educational institutes include:
<!---♦♦♦ Only add an institute to this list if it already has its own article on the English Wikipedia ♦♦♦--->  
<!---♦♦♦ Only add an institute to this list if it already has its own article on the English Bharatpedia ♦♦♦--->
<!---♦♦♦ Please keep the list in alphabetical order by LAST NAME ♦♦♦--->  
<!---♦♦♦ Please keep the list in alphabetical order by LAST NAME ♦♦♦--->
*[[Mirpur University of Science & Technology]] (MUST) Pallandri campus, Sudhanoti District
* [[Mirpur University of Science & Technology]] (MUST) Pallandri campus, Sudhanoti District
*[[Mohi-ud-Din Islamic University]] [[Nerian Sharif]], a chartered university situated 125&nbsp;km west of Islamabad  
* [[Mohi-ud-Din Islamic University]] [[Nerian Sharif]], a chartered university situated 125&nbsp;km west of Islamabad
*[[University of Poonch]] (SM campus, Mang, Sudhanoti District)
* [[University of Poonch]] (SM campus, Mang, Sudhanoti District)


==Notable people==
== Notable people ==
<!---♦♦♦ Only add a person to this list if they already have their own article on the English Wikipedia ♦♦♦--->  
<!---♦♦♦ Only add a person to this list if they already have their own article on the English Bharatpedia ♦♦♦--->
<!---♦♦♦ Please keep the list in alphabetical order by LAST NAME ♦♦♦--->  
<!---♦♦♦ Please keep the list in alphabetical order by LAST NAME ♦♦♦--->
* [[Kiran Imran Dar]], Member National Assembly (MNA) Pakistan
* [[Aziz Khan (general)|Aziz Khan]], General of the Pakistan Army and Chairman of the [[Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Bhattacharya|first=Samir|title=NOTHING BUT!|year=2014|publisher=Partridge Publishing|isbn=978-1-48281-787-4|page=228|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xO3HAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA228}}</ref>
* [[Aziz Khan (general)|Aziz Khan]], General of the Pakistan Army and Chairman of the [[Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Bhattacharya|first=Samir|title=NOTHING BUT!|year=2014|publisher=Partridge Publishing|isbn=978-1-48281-787-4|page=228|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xO3HAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA228}}</ref>
* [[Khan Muhammad Khan]], Politician and the Chairman of the War Council during the [[1947 Poonch Rebellion]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://gctr.edu.pk/pages/Intromore.html |publisher=Khan Sahib Government College of Technology, Rawalkot |title=Introduction |access-date=14 October 2018}}</ref>
* [[Khan Muhammad Khan]], Politician and the Chairman of the War Council during the [[1947 Poonch Rebellion]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://gctr.edu.pk/pages/Intromore.html |publisher=Khan Sahib Government College of Technology, Rawalkot |title=Introduction |access-date=14 October 2018}}</ref>
* Dr. [[Muhammad Najeeb Naqi Khan]], Minister for Health and Finance. He was elected as a member of the Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly five times (in 1991, 1996, 2006, 2011, and 2016) from the Pallandri constituency and was a member of the Kashmir Council from 2001 to 2006.
* Dr. [[Muhammad Najeeb Naqi Khan]], Minister for Health and Finance. He was elected as a member of the Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly five times (in 1991, 1996, 2006, 2011, and 2016) from the Pallandri constituency and was a member of the Kashmir Council from 2001 to 2006.
*[[Muhammad Alauddin Siddiqui]] was a great Islamic Sufi Scholar and 2nd custodian of [[Nerian Sharif]], [[Tarar Khel]]. He was died on 3 Feb 2017.
* [[Muhammad Alauddin Siddiqui]], Islamic Sufi Scholar and 2nd custodian of [[Nerian Sharif]], [[Tarar Khel]]. He died on 3 February 2017.
*[[Pir Sultan Ul Arfeen Siddiqui]] from [[Nerian Sharif]], son of Islamic sufi scholar [[Muhammad Alauddin Siddiqui]].


==See also==
== See also ==
*[[Balouch, Azad Kashmir]]
* [[Balouch, Azad Kashmir]]


==References==
== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


==External links==
== External links ==
*[http://www.ajk.gov.pk Government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir]
* [http://www.ajk.gov.pk Government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir]
*{{Wikivoyage-inline|Azad Jammu and Kashmir}}
* {{Wikivoyage inline|Azad Jammu and Kashmir}}


{{Poonch Division}}
{{Poonch Division}}
{{Administrative units of Azad Kashmir}}
{{Administrative units of Azad Kashmir}}
{{Coord|33|42|54|N|73|41|09|E|region:PK_type:city|display=title}}


[[Category:Sudhanoti District| ]]
[[Category:Sudhanoti District| ]]
[[Category:Districts of Azad Kashmir]]
[[Category:Districts of Azad Kashmir]]
[[Category:Poonch Division]]

Latest revision as of 17:19, 9 March 2026


Sudhanoti District
ضلع سدھنوتی
District of Azad Kashmir administered by Pakistan[1]
A view of Cadet College Pallandri in the Sudhanoti District
A view of Cadet College Pallandri in the Sudhanoti District
A map showing Sudhanoti district shaded in Yellow along with Poonch district
A map showing Sudhanoti district shaded in Yellow along with Poonch district
Coordinates (Pallandri Tehsil): 33°40′N 73°43′E / 33.667°N 73.717°E / 33.667; 73.717
Administering countryPakistan
TerritoryAzad Kashmir
DivisionPoonch Division
HeadquartersPallandri
Government
 • TypeDistrict Administration
 • Deputy CommissionerN/A
 • District Police OfficerN/A
 • District Health OfficerN/A
Area
 • Total569 km2 (220 sq mi)
Population
 (2017)[2]
 • Total297,584
 • Density523/km2 (1,350/sq mi)
Languages
 • OfficialUrdu[3]
 • SpokenPahari (Poonchi), Gujari, Pothwari
Time zoneUTC+5 (PST)
Number of Tehsils4
Websitesudhanoti.com

Sudhanoti (also called Sudhnoti,[4] Script error: The function "langx" does not exist.) is one of the 10 districts of Pakistan-administered Azad Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.[1][5][6] The Sudhanoti District is bounded on the north and east by the Poonch District,[7] on the south by the Kotli District, and on the west by the Rawalpindi District of Pakistan's Punjab Province. It is located 90 kilometres (56 mi) from Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. It is connected with Rawalpindi and Islamabad via the Azad Pattan Road. Historically, the tehsil of Sudhanoti established during the Dogra period by Raja Moti Singh as part of the larger Poonch jagir included territories that are now part of the separate Poonch District. This included towns such as Rawalakot and Khaigala, which historically lay within the greater, pre-partition Sudhanoti region.[8]

The district headquarters is the town of Pallandri. It lies at an elevation of 1,372 meters and is at a distance of 97 kilometers from Rawalpindi via the Azad Pattan Road. Pallandri is connected to Rawalakot by a 64-km metalled road.

Map of Azad Kashmir with the Sudhanoti District highlighted in red

Administrative divisions[edit | edit source]

The Sudhanoti District is divided into four tehsils:[9]

History[edit | edit source]

Sudhnoti (now called Sudhanoti) was first established as a tehsil of the Poonch jagir by Raja Moti Singh, the ruler of Poonch in the second half of the 19th century. In the Dogra era, the tehsil of Sudhanoti also included the territories of the modern day Poonch district in Azad Kashmir.[10]

Population[edit | edit source]

The district is overwhelmingly dominated by the Sudhans,[11] and the population of Sudhanoti was recorded as 297,584 in the 2017 census.[2][12]

The main native language is Pahari, spoken by an estimated 95% of the population.[13][14]

Education[edit | edit source]

According to the Alif Ailaan Pakistan District Education Rankings 2017, Sudhanoti is ranked 34 out of 155 districts with a score of 68.85 in terms of education. For facilities and infrastructure, the district is ranked last with the very low score of 6.76.[15]

Educational institutes include:

Notable people[edit | edit source]

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary sources (a) through (e), reflecting due weight in the coverage. Although "controlled" and "held" are also applied neutrally to the names of the disputants or to the regions administered by them, as evidenced in sources (h) through (i) below, "held" is also considered politicized usage, as is the term "occupied," (see (j) below).
    (a) Kashmir, region Indian subcontinent, Encyclopaedia Britannica, retrieved 15 August 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: Azad 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.";
    (b) Pletcher, Kenneth, Aksai Chin, Plateau Region, Asia, Encyclopaedia Britannica, retrieved 16 August 2019 (subscription required) Quote: "Aksai Chin, Chinese (Pinyin) Aksayqin, portion of the Kashmir region, at the northernmost extent of the Indian subcontinent in south-central Asia. It constitutes nearly all the territory of the Chinese-administered sector of Kashmir that is claimed by India to be part of the Ladakh area of Jammu and Kashmir state.";
    (c) "Kashmir", Encyclopedia Americana, Scholastic Library Publishing, 2006, p. 328, ISBN 978-0-7172-0139-6 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";
    (d) Osmańczyk, Edmund Jan (2003), Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Agreements: G to M, Taylor & Francis, pp. 1191–, ISBN 978-0-415-93922-5 Quote: "Jammu and Kashmir: Territory in northwestern India, subject to a dispute between India and Pakistan. It has borders with Pakistan and China."
    (e) Talbot, Ian (2016), A History of Modern South Asia: Politics, States, Diasporas, Yale University Press, pp. 28–29, ISBN 978-0-300-19694-8 Quote: "We move from a disputed international border to a dotted line on the map that represents a military border not recognized in international law. The line of control separates the Indian and Pakistani administered areas of the former Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir.";
    (f) Skutsch, Carl (2015) [2007], "China: Border War with India, 1962", in Ciment, James (ed.), Encyclopedia of Conflicts Since World War II (2nd ed.), London and New York: Routledge, p. 573, ISBN 978-0-7656-8005-1, The situation between the two nations was complicated by the 1957–1959 uprising by Tibetans against Chinese rule. Refugees poured across the Indian border, and the Indian public was outraged. Any compromise with China on the border issue became impossible. Similarly, China was offended that India had given political asylum to the Dalai Lama when he fled across the border in March 1959. In late 1959, there were shots fired between border patrols operating along both the ill-defined McMahon Line and in the Aksai Chin.
    (g) Clary, Christopher (25 February 2024), The Difficult Politics of Peace: Rivalry in Modern South Asia, Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, p. 109, ISBN 9780197638408, Territorial Dispute: The situation along the Sino-Indian frontier continued to worsen. In late July (1959), an Indian reconnaissance patrol was blocked, "apprehended," and eventually expelled after three weeks in custody at the hands of a larger Chinese force near Khurnak Fort in Aksai Chin. ... Circumstances worsened further in October 1959, when a major class at Kongka Pass in eastern Ladakh led to nine dead and ten captured Indian border personnel, making it by far the most serious Sino-Indian class since India's independence.
    (h) Bose, Sumantra (2009), Kashmir: Roots of Conflict, Paths to Peace, Harvard University Press, pp. 294, 291, 293, ISBN 978-0-674-02855-5 Quote: "J&K: Jammu and Kashmir. The former princely state that is the subject of the Kashmir dispute. Besides IJK (Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir. The larger and more populous part of the former princely state. It has a population of slightly over 10 million, and comprises three regions: Kashmir Valley, Jammu, and Ladakh.) and AJK ('Azad" (Free) Jammu and Kashmir. The more populous part of Pakistani-controlled J&K, with a population of approximately 2.5 million.), it includes the sparsely populated "Northern Areas" of Gilgit and Baltistan, remote mountainous regions which are directly administered, unlike AJK, by the Pakistani central authorities, and some high-altitude uninhabitable tracts under Chinese control."
    (i) Fisher, Michael H. (2018), An Environmental History of India: From Earliest Times to the Twenty-First Century, Cambridge University Press, p. 166, ISBN 978-1-107-11162-2 Quote: "Kashmir's identity remains hotly disputed with a UN-supervised "Line of Control" still separating Pakistani-held Azad ("Free") Kashmir from Indian-held Kashmir.";
    (j) Snedden, Christopher (2015), Understanding Kashmir and Kashmiris, Oxford University Press, p. 10, ISBN 978-1-84904-621-3 Quote:"Some politicised terms also are used to describe parts of J&K. These terms include the words 'occupied' and 'held'."
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Population of Districts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir - Sudhanoti District population". Citypopulation.de website. Archived from the original on 29 June 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  3. ↑ Rahman, Tariq (1996). Language and politics in Pakistan. Oxford University Press. p. 226. ISBN 978-0-19-577692-8.
  4. ↑ Azad, Government of the State of Jammu and Kashmir. "AJ&K Map". Azad Government of the State of Jammu and Kashmir. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
  5. ↑ "AJ&K Portal". www.ajk.gov.pk.
  6. ↑ Bawa, Satinder Singh (1974). The Jammu Fox: A Biography of Maharaja Gulab Singh of Kashmir, 1792-1857. Southern Illinois University Press. ISBN 978-0-8093-0652-7.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Subdivisions of AJK". Archived from the original on 5 April 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2009.
  8. ↑ Grewal, J. S. (2022). Poonch: India's Invincible Citadel. Lancer Publishers. In the Dogra era, the tehsil of Sudhanoti also included the territories of the modern-day Poonch district in Azad Kashmir.
  9. ↑ "Tehsils of Sudhnoti District on AJK map". ajk.gov.pk. AJK Official Portal. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  10. ↑ Grewal, Brigadier J. S. (1 August 2022). Poonch: India's Invincible Citadel. Lancer Publishers. pp. 101–103, 105–107, 109–111. ISBN 978-81-7062-345-8.
  11. ↑ Khan, Muhammad Faraz; Mashwani, Zia-ur-Rahman; Mehmood, Ansar; Qureshi, Rehmatullah; Sarwar, Rizwan; Ahmad, Khawaja Shafique; Quave, Cassandra L (2021). "An ethnopharmacological survey and comparative analysis of plants from the Sudhnoti District, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan". Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. 17 (1): 14. doi:10.1186/s13002-021-00435-2. PMC 7980561. PMID 33743778. Owing to a unique tribal composition, where up to 85% of the district population belongs to the "Sudhan" tribe
  12. ↑ "Census 2017: AJK population rises to over 4m". The Nation. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  13. ↑ Statistical Year Book 2020 (PDF). Muzaffarabad: AJ&K Bureau Of Statistics. p. 140. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  14. ↑ Shakil, Mohsin (2012). "Languages of Erstwhile State of Jammu Kashmir (A Preliminary Study)". p. 12.
  15. ↑ "Pakistan District Education Rankings 2017" (PDF). elections.alifailaan.pk. Alif Ailaan. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 July 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  16. ↑ Bhattacharya, Samir (2014). NOTHING BUT!. Partridge Publishing. p. 228. ISBN 978-1-48281-787-4.
  17. ↑ "Introduction". Khan Sahib Government College of Technology, Rawalkot. Retrieved 14 October 2018.

External links[edit | edit source]

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