The Poonch District ( ur, ) is one of the 10 districts of Pakistan's dependent territory of
Azad Kashmir
Azad Jammu and Kashmir (; ), abbreviated as AJK and colloquially referred to as simply Azad Kashmir, is a region administered by Pakistan as a nominally self-governing entitySee:
*
*
* and constituting the western portion of the larger K ...
. The Poonch District is bounded on the north by the
Bagh District
Bagh District ( ur, ) is one of the ten districts of Pakistan's territory of Azad Kashmir. Previously part of Poonch District, it was established as a separate district in 1988.
The Bagh District is bounded on the north by the Muzaffarabad D ...
, on the north-east by the
Haveli District, on the south-east by the Poonch District of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, on the south by the
Sudhanoti District
The Sudhanoti District (also spelled Sudhanuti District) ( ur, ), meaning the "heartland of Sudhans" or " Sudhan heartland"), is one of the 10 districts of Pakistan's dependent territory of Azad Kashmir. The Sudhanoti District is bounded on t ...
and the
Kotli District, and on the west by the
Rawalpindi District of Pakistan's
Punjab Province. The Poonch District is part of the greater Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan. The district headquarters is the city of
Rawalakot
Rawalakot ( ur, ) is the capital of Poonch district in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. It is located in the Pir Panjal Range.
History
Along with Pallandri, Rawalakot was the focal point of the 1955 Poonch uprising. It was led by the local Sud ...
. It is the 3rd most populus district of Azad Kashmir.
The main language is
Pahari ("Punchi"), native to an estimated 95% of the population, but there are also speakers of
Gujari
Gojri (, ), also known as Gujari, Gujri, Gojari, or Gojri, is a variety of Rajasthani spoken by the Gurjars and other tribes of India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
In India, the language is mainly spoken in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Prades ...
, while
has official status.
History
17th Century to 1946
From the end of seventeenth century up to 1837 CE, Poonch was ruled by the Muslim
raja
''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia.
The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested ...
s of Loran in
Haveli Tehsil
The Haveli Tehsil is a tehsil of the Poonch district in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is headquartered at the Poonch Town.
History
The History of Poonch District of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir had four ...
. It then fell into the hands of Raja Faiztalab of the
Punjab government. Poonch was included in the transfer of the hilly country to
Maharaja Gulab Singh of
Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to:
* Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent
* Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory
* Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...
in 1848. Before this transfer, Poonch was a jagir granted to Raja
Dhian Singh
Raja Dhian Singh (22 August 1796 – 15 September 1843) was the longest serving wazir of the Sikh Empire, during the reign of Maharajah Ranjit Singh, and four of his successors. He held the office for twenty five years, from 1818 up till his dea ...
. Maharaja Gulab Singh reinstated Poonch and adjoining areas to Dhian Singh's sons, Jawahar Singh and Moiti Singh. The raja of Poonch had to present to the Maharaja one horse with gold trappings. The raja of Poonch was not permitted to effect any administrative changes in the territory of Poonch without prior consultation with the Maharaja of
Kashmir.
Separation of Poonch
After independence in 1947, there was a
rebellion in the western part of the
Poonch District. The rebels led by
Sardar Ibrahim Khan, sought support from the
Dominion of Pakistan
Between 14 August 1947 and 23 March 1956, Pakistan was an independent federal dominion in the Commonwealth of Nations, created by the passing of the Indian Independence Act 1947 by the British parliament, which also created the Dominion of ...
, which provided arms and then launched an
invasion
An invasion is a military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitical entity aggressively enter territory owned by another such entity, generally with the objective of either: conquering; liberating or re-establishing ...
of its own, using
Pashtun tribals. In response, the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir joined India, and the conflict turned into an
Indo-Pakistani war. When a ceasefire was effected, the Poonch District was divided into two separate districts. The former headquarters, the city of
Poonch, came under Indian administration, and a new headquarters in the western district was eventually established at
Rawalakot
Rawalakot ( ur, ) is the capital of Poonch district in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. It is located in the Pir Panjal Range.
History
Along with Pallandri, Rawalakot was the focal point of the 1955 Poonch uprising. It was led by the local Sud ...
.
1949 to Present
Of the four tehsils of the original Poonch District, viz., Bagh, Sudhnoti, Haveli, and Mendhar, the Azad Kashmiri
Poonch Division included the first two and a portion of the third. Those three tehsils were eventually made separate districts, and a new Poonch District was created in the center of the Poonch Division by incorporating portions of the
Bagh
Bagh ( fa, باغ, link=no, meaning "garden") may refer to:
Places India
* Bagh Caves in Madhya Pradesh, India
* Bagh, Dhar, a town in Madhya Pradesh, India
Iran
* Bagh, Ardabil, a village in Ardabil Province
* Bagh, Larestan, a village ...
and
Sudhnoti tehsils.
Poonch district was the main area of violent anti government revolt (led by the
Sudhan tribe) during the
1955 Poonch uprising, which lasted from early 1955 to late 1956.
Administrative divisions
The district is administratively subdivided into four tehsils:
*
Abbaspur Tehsil
*
Hajira Tehsil
*
Rawalakot Tehsil
*
Thorar Tehsil
Education
According to the
Pakistan District Education Ranking 2017, a report released by
Alif Ailaan
Alif Ailaan ( ur, ) was a nonprofit organization working in the field of education in Pakistan from 2013 to 2018. Launched by a team of media and communications specialists, the program aimed to highlight education on priority basis in Pakist ...
, the Poonch District is ranked at number 8 nationally, with an education score of 73.52. Over the past five years, the Poonch District has shown the most improvement in the establishment of middle schools. The learning score for the Poonch District is 84.15.
The school infrastructure score for the Poonch District is 14.88, ranking the district at number 151, which places it in the bottom five districts relating to infrastructure in Pakistan and its two dependent territories. Schools in the Poonch District also have severe problems with regard to electricity, drinking water, and boundary walls, as reflected in their scores of 2.67, 12.1, and 6.23, respectively.
The state of some school buildings also presents a major safety risk for students.
Transport
The
Poonch-
Rawalakot
Rawalakot ( ur, ) is the capital of Poonch district in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. It is located in the Pir Panjal Range.
History
Along with Pallandri, Rawalakot was the focal point of the 1955 Poonch uprising. It was led by the local Sud ...
bus, which crosses the LOC, has helped to re-establish ties across the border.
See also
*
History of Poonch District
*
Poonch district, India
*
1947 Poonch Rebellion
*
Poonch Medical College Rawalakot
References
Bibliography
*
*
External links
Official website of the Government of Azad Kashmir*
{{Administrative units of Azad Kashmir
Districts of Azad Kashmir