Sudhanoti () is one of the 10 districts of Pakistan-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 Controversy (, ) is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of conflicting opinion or point of view. The word was coined from the Latin ''controversia'', as a composite of ''controversus'' – "turned in an oppo ...

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.The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of

and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the

tertiary sources A tertiary source is an index or textual consolidation of already published Primary source, primary and secondary 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, 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 are used to describe parts of J&K. These terms include the words 'occupied' and 'held'." The Sudhanoti District is bounded on the north and east by the Poonch District, on the south by the

Kotli District Kotli District () is a district of Pakistan-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 tertia ...

, and on the west by the

Rawalpindi District Rawalpindi District (Punjabi language, Punjabi and ) is a Districts of Pakistan, district located in the northernmost part of the Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab province of Pakistan. Parts of the district form part of the Islamabad Rawalpindi metropo ...

of Pakistan's Punjab Province. It is located from

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 ...

, the capital of Pakistan. It is connected with

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 ...

and Islamabad via the

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 ...

Road. The district headquarters is the town of

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 ...

. 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 Rawalakot () is the capital of Poonch District, Pakistan, Poonch district in Pakistan–administered Azad Kashmir, in the disputed Kashmir region. It is located in the Pir Panjal Range. History 1947 Poonch rebellion On 15 June 1947, Sarda ...

by a 64-km metalled road. Pakistan - Azad Kashmir - Sudhnati

Administrative divisions

The Sudhanoti District is divided into four

tehsil A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a Zila (country subdivision), district including the designated populated place that ser ...

s: * Baloch Tehsil * Mang Tehsil *

Pallandri Tehsil Pallandri, also spelled Palandri (), originally Pulandari, is a Tehsil which serves as the administrative capital of Sudhanoti district of Azad Kashmir. It is located at latitude 33° 42′ 54″ N, longitude 73° 41′ 9″ E, from Islamabad, ...

* Trarkhel Tehsil

Population

The district is overwhelmingly dominated by the

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 ...

s, and the population of Sudhanoti was recorded as 297,584 in the 2017 Census. The main native language is Pahari, spoken by an estimated 95% of the population.

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. Educational institutes include: * Mirpur University of Science & Technology (MUST) Pallandri campus, Sudhanoti District *

Mohi-ud-Din Islamic University Mohi-ud-Din Islamic University (MIU) is a private university in Nerian Sharif, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan, that offers undergraduate and post-graduate education. Recognized university Mohi-ud-Din Islamic University, Nerian Sharif, Azad Kashmir ...

Nerian Sharif Nerian Sharif is a muslim shrine ( dargah) located in the eponymous village, situated in Tarar Khel Tehsil, Sudhanoti District, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. ...

, a chartered university situated 125 km west of Islamabad * University of Poonch (SM campus, Mang, Sudhanoti District)

Notable people

* Kiran Imran Dar, Member National Assembly (MNA) Pakistan * Aziz Khan, General of the Pakistan Army and Chairman of the

Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee The Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (JCSC), (); is an administrative body of senior high-ranking uniformed military leaders of the unified Pakistan Armed Forces who advises the civilian government of Pakistan, National Security Council, Defen ...

Khan Muhammad Khan Colonel Khan Muhammad Khan (Urdu: کرنل خان محمد خان) was a prominent Sudhan soldier and politician in Poonch, serving in the Legislative Assembly (''Praja Sabha'') of the princely state of Jammu & Kashmir until 1947. Later he se ...

, Politician and the Chairman of the War Council during the

1947 Poonch Rebellion In spring 1947, an uprising against the Maharaja Hari Singh of Jammu and Kashmir broke out in the Poonch jagir, an area bordering the Rawalpindi district of West Punjab and the Hazara district of the North-West Frontier Province in the fu ...

* 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 Muhammad Alauddin Siddiqui (; 1 January 1938 – 3 February 2017) was an Islamic Sufi scholar and social personality. He appeared in Islamic educational programmes on ARY Q TV and on NOOR TV. He established madrassas for religious and non rel ...

, Islamic Sufi Scholar and 2nd custodian of

Tarar Khel Tararkhal () (also spelled Tarar Khal) is a Tehsil and tourist attraction in Sudhanoti District of Azad Kashmir. It is the headquarters of Tehsil Tararkhal. It is located from Islamabad, from Rawalakot and 32 kilometres (19.88 mi) from Pallandri ...

. He died on 3 February 2017.

References

External links