Rawalakot () is the capital of Poonch district in

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

–administered

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 ...

, in the disputed

Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...

region. It is located in the

Pir Panjal Range The Pir Panjal Range ( ; ) is a range of mountains in the Lower Himalayan region located in the Western Himalayas of northern Indian subcontinent. It runs southeast to northwest between the Beas and Neelam/Kishanganga rivers, in the Indi ...

History

1947 Poonch rebellion

On 15 June 1947,

Sardar Ibrahim Khan Sardar Ibrahim Khan (, ər'da:r ɪbra:'ɦi:m xa:n 22 April 1915 – 31 July 2003) was a revolutionary leader and politician from the western region of Jammu and Kashmir (present-day Azad Kashmir), who led the 1947 Poonch Rebellion against th ...

addressed a meeting in Rawalakot attended by 20,000 people, and gave a speech telling his audience that Pakistan, a Muslim state, was coming into being and the people of Jammu and Kashmir could not remain unaffected. After that day, he says, "a strange atmosphere took the place of the usually peaceful life in these parts". On 22 June, Chaudhary Hamidullah, the acting president of the Muslim Conference, visited Rawalakot and initiated secret plans to organise the ex-servicemen of the district for an eventual confrontation with the Dogra State Forces. On or around 6 October, the armed rebellion started in the Poonch district. The fighting elements consisted of "bands of deserters from the State Army, serving soldiers of the Pakistan Army on leave, ex-servicemen, and other volunteers who had risen spontaneously." The rebels quickly gained control of almost the entire Poonch district, including Rawalakot.

1955 Poonch uprising

Along with

Pallandri Pallandri, also spelled Palandri (), originally Pulandari, is a Tehsil which serves as the administrative capital of Sudhanoti District, Sudhanoti district of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Azad Kashmir. It is located at latitude 33° 42′ 54″ N, lon ...

, Rawalakot was the focal point of the

1955 Poonch uprising __NOTOC__ The 1955 Poonch revolt, also known as the 1955 Sudhan uprising was a Civil revolt in Azad Jammu and Kashmir against the State of Pakistan. The uprising broke out in February 1955 and was provoked largely by the dismissal of Sardar ...

. It was led by the local

Sudhans Sudhan (also known as Sudhozai Pathan or Saddozai Pathan) are a tribe of the Poonch Division of Azad Kashmir, with their population primarily concentrated in the districts of Poonch and Sudhanoti, and smaller communities in the neighboring ...

who disapproved of

Sher Ahmed Khan Colonel Sher Ahmed Khan (1902 at Pallandri, Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir - 1972) (Now in Sudhnuti, Azad Kashmir), was one of the Sudhan guerrilla commanders of the Azad Army and also served as the President of Azad Kashmir. He was known as ...

and wanted

, as well as democratic reforms.

2005 Kashmir earthquake

On Saturday, 8 October 2005 a 7.6 magnitude earthquake killed 73,338 people and left up to three million homeless in Pakistan, including Azad Kashmir. The city of Rawalakot, the capital of the Poonch district, suffered significant damage from the 2005 earthquake; although most of the buildings were left standing, many of them were rendered uninhabitable, and some of the population was left homeless. Most of the buildings have been reconstructed.

Towns

* Khai Gala, Rawalakot * Banjosa Lake, Rawalakot * Jandali, Rawalakot * Dhamni, Rawalakot * Hurnamaira, Rawalakot * Ali Sojal, Rawalakot * Barmang, Rawalakot * Chak, Rawalakot * Shaheed Gala, Rawalakot * Pachiot, Rawalakot * Shaheed Gala, Rawalakot *

Location

Rawalakot is located at

Latitude In geography, latitude is a geographic coordinate system, geographic coordinate that specifies the north-south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from −90° at t ...

33°51'32.18"N,

Longitude Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east- west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek lett ...

73° 45'34.93"E and an

elevation The elevation of a geographic location (geography), ''location'' is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational equipotenti ...

of 5374 feet. Rawalakot is approximately from

Kahuta Kahuta ( Punjabi, Urdu: ) is a census-designated place, city and tehsil in the Rawalpindi District of Punjab, Pakistan. The population of the Kahuta Tehsil is approximately 220,576 at the 2017 census. Kahuta is the home to the Kahuta Research ...

and about from the city of

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, third-largest city in the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is a commercial and industrial hub, being the list of cities in P ...

. It is linked with Rawalpindi and

Islamabad Islamabad (; , ; ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's tenth-most populous city with a population of over 1.1 million and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Bu ...

via Goyain Nala and

Tain Tain ( ) is a royal burgh and parish in the County of Ross, in the Scottish Highlands, Highlands of Scotland. Etymology The name derives from the nearby River Tain, the name of which comes from an Indo-European root meaning 'flow'. The Gaelic n ...

roads. Via Kotli Satiyan and Kahuta. It is also linked with Rawalpindi via Sudhnuti.

Transport

Travel routes

Construction of the Ghazi-e-Millat road (also known as Guoien Nala road) between Rawalakot and

Azad Pattan Azad Pattan (), previously Lachman Pattan, is a village near Palandri in the Sudhanoti District of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. It is located on border of Punjab and Azad Kashmir on bank of Jehlum River. The Azad Pattan bridge on the Jhelum River c ...

has considerably reduced travel time, it is main road which is connecting

/Rawalpindi to Rawalakot city.

Road links

The road passing through Pakgali-Paniola connects Rawalakot to

Bagh Bagh (, meaning "garden") may refer to: Places Bangladesh * Bagh Prachanda Khan, a village in Beanibazar, Sylhet district * Lal Bagh, a neighbourhood in Dhaka * Mali Bagh, a neighbourhood in Dhaka * Rajar Bagh, a neighbourhood in Dhaka * ...

and

Muzaffarabad Muzaffarabad (; , IPA: ʊzəfːərɑːbɑːd 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 ...

. The alternative road that passes through Mohri Farman Shah, Shuja Abad is the shortest possible road link that connects Rawalakot city with Bagh.

Murree Murree () is a mountain resort city in the northernmost region of the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. Lying in the Galyat region of the Pir Panjal Range under the western Himalayas, it forms the outskirts of the Islamabad–Rawal ...

, Islamabad and Rawalpindi are situated in a southward direction from Rawalakot. The town has another road link with

Kotli Kotli ( Pahari-Pothwari / ; ) is a city and headquarters of the Kotli District in Pakistan-administered Azad Kashmir. The city lies along the Poonch River, which is known for its natural secenary and waterfalls. According to the 2017 Census ...

Airport

Rawalakot Airport Rawalakot Airport is a non-operational airport located in Rawalakot, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. The airport is surrounded by a forest and is open to the public. History Pakistan International Airlines previously operated flights between Rawalakot a ...

is non-operational and it has been closed since October 2005.

Climate

Rawalakot features a

subtropical highland climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring c ...

under the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

due to high

altitude Altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum (geodesy), datum and a point or object. The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context (e.g., aviation, geometr ...

. The weather of Rawalakot is quite erratic. However, the climate of Rawalakot can be divided into four seasons, namely spring, summer, autumn and winter. Rawalakot has mild to warm temperatures during the spring and autumn, humid temperatures during the summer and cold to snowy during the winter. The temperature can rise as high as during the mid-summer months and drop below during the winter months. Snowfall occurs in December and January, while most rainfall occurs during the monsoon season stretching from July to September.Pakistan Meteorological Department Kaleem Abbasi, 15 Aug, 2014

Demography

Rawalakot has an urban population of 56,006 people according to the 2017 census which rose to 56,590 in 2018. Majority of Rawalakot’s population is ethnically

Sudhan Sudhan (also known as Sudhozai Pathan or Saddozai Pathan) are a tribe of the Poonch Division of Azad Kashmir, with their population primarily concentrated in the districts of Poonch and Sudhanoti, and smaller communities in the neighboring ...

Notes

References

Sources

* * * *

External links

*
Britannica – Azad Kashmir
{{Tehsils of Azad Kashmir 2005 Kashmir earthquake Populated places in Poonch District, Pakistan Tehsils of Poonch District, Pakistan