Muzaffarabad (Assembly Constituency)

Muzaffarabad is a city in Pakistani-administered Azad Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. 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) (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) (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) C. E Bosworth, the 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) Quote: "Jammu and Kashmir: Territory in northwestern India, subject to a dispute between India and Pakistan. It has borders with Pakistan and China."
(e) 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)
(g)
(h) 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) 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) Quote:"Some politicised terms also used to describe parts of J&K. These terms include the words 'occupied' and 'held'."
It is the largest city and the capital of Azad Kashmir, which is a Pakistani-administered administrative territory.

The city is located in Muzaffarabad District, near the confluence of the Jhelum and Neelum rivers. The district is bounded by the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the west, the Kupwara and Baramulla districts of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in the east, and the Neelum District in the north.

History

Muzaffarabad was founded in 1646 by Sultan Muzaffar Khan, chief of the Bomba tribe who ruled Kashmir. Khan also constructed the Red Fort that same year for the purpose of warding off incursions from the Mughal Empire.

Sikh Empire

In 1827, Raja Zabardast Khan, who had succeeded his father Hassan Ali Khan as the Raja of Muzaffarabad, led a guerrilla campaign against the Sikh Empire, targeting their garrisons in Handwara, Baramulla, and the Hazara region. His leadership and strategic strikes disrupted Sikh control in the area.

Gathering a sizable force, Zabardast Khan declared independence and planned an invasion of the Kashmir Valley. In response, Diwan Kirpa Ram led a large Khalsa army to suppress the rebellion. Between Baramula and Muzaffarabad, spanning nearly 77 miles, Zabardast Khan's forces, alongside the local Muslim population, launched persistent attacks on the advancing Sikh army using guerrilla tactics from caves, rocks, and forests. The Sikh forces suffered heavy casualties, and Diwan Kirpa Ram's army faced serious defeats and significant losses.

Dogra era

On 28 May 1849 James Abbott, at the time boundary commissioner, wrote that "intelligence received from Cashmere that a Jumboo Force of 4,000 men is about to march to Moozuffurabad, where there are already 3,000. This report may be a feint of the Maharaja to overcome the hill tribes, who, though quite peaceful at present, have been much opprest icand are ready enough to rise when opportunity offers." JOURNALS AND DIARIES OF THE ASSISTANTS TO THE RESIDENT AT LAHORE – No 33—Diary of Captain James Abbott, Assistant Resident, on deputation to Huzara, for the 28th and 29th May 1848.

Abbott also wrote that it is "highly desirable therefore that this report, which has greatly alarmed them and may drive them to desperation, be contradicted; and I have accordingly addrest the Maharaja disclaiming belief in such a rumour, and assuring him that any movement of troops in this direction at this moment will not have a friendly aspect. The assembly of any force upon the frontier were an encouragement to the insurgents in Mooltan and to others who are disposed to join them."

The following day on 29th May Abbott wrote:

Indo-Pakistani war of 1947

The Battle of Muzaffarabad occurred on 22 October 1947 between Pakistani-backed Pashtun tribesmen, pro-Pakistani Kashmiri rebels, and the Jammu and Kashmir State Forces in the town of Muzaffarabad. The battle resulted in a rapid defeat of the Jammu and Kashmir State Forces, leading to the capture of Muzaffarabad by the tribesmen.

2005 earthquake

The city was near the epicenter of the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, which had a magnitude of 7.6 M_w. The earthquake destroyed about 50 percent of the buildings in the city (including most government buildings) and is estimated to have killed up to 80,000 people in the Pakistani-controlled areas. , the Pakistani government's official death toll was 87,350, while other estimates have put the death toll at over 100,000.

Administrative subdivisions

The district of Muzaffarabad is administratively divided into 2 tehsils, which are subdivided into 25 union councils.

* Muzaffarabad
* Pattika (Naseerabad)

Climate

Transport

Muzaffarabad's public transportation system primarily relies on buses, rickshaws, and small pickup trucks for intracity travel. Following the devastating 2005 earthquake that severely damaged infrastructure, including roads, the city government, with international aid, rebuilt roads, bridges, and other essential infrastructure. However, public transportation remains underdeveloped. Notably, Muzaffarabad lacks a railway system and a functional airport. The nearest railway station is located in the Rawalpindi District of Pakistani Punjab.Google Maps
Maps.google.co.uk. Retrieved on 3 July 2012.

Notable people

* Anam Najam, medical doctor and psychiatrist
* Rashid Naseer, Pakistani cricketer
* Farooq Haider Khan, Politician

Gallery

See also

* Awan Patti

Notes

References

Sources

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External links

Government official Website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Muzaffarabad

Capitals of Pakistan
Tehsils of Muzaffarabad District
Hill stations in Pakistan
Kabul Shahi
Kashmir
2005 Kashmir earthquake
Populated places established in 1646