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 entity and constituting the western portion of the larger Kashmir region, which has been the subject of a dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947. Azad Kashmir also shares borders with the Pakistani provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the south and west, respectively. On its eastern side, Azad Kashmir is separated from the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir (part of Indian-administered Kashmir) by the Line of Control (LoC), which serves as the de facto border between the Indian- and Pakistani-controlled parts of Kashmir. Geographically, it covers a total area of 13,297 km2 (5,134 sq mi) and has a total population of 4,045,366 as per the 2017 national census.
Azad Jammu and Kashmir
Āzād Jammū̃ o Kaśmīr | |
|---|---|
Administered by Pakistan as a self-administrative territory | |
top: Arang Kel bottom: Shounter Valley | |
A map of the disputed Kashmir region with the two Pakistan-administered areas shaded in sage-green. | |
Interactive map of Azad Kashmir | |
| Coordinates: 33°50′36″N 73°51′05″E | |
| Administered by | Pakistan |
| Established | October 24, 1947 (Azad Kashmir Day) |
| Capital | Muzaffarabad |
| Largest city | Muzaffarabad |
| Government | |
| • Type | Self-governing state under Pakistani administration |
| • Body | Government of Azad Kashmir |
| • President | Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry |
| • Prime Minister | Chaudhry Anwar-ul-Haq |
| • Chief Secretary | Muhammad Usman Chachar (BPS-21 PAS) |
| • Legislature | Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly |
| • Supreme Court | Supreme Court of Azad Jammu and Kashmir |
| Area | |
| • Total | 13,297 km2 (5,134 sq mi) |
| Population (2017) | |
| • Total | 4,045,366 |
| • Density | 300/km2 (790/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Azad Kashmiri |
| Time zone | UTC+05:00 (PKT) |
| ISO 3166 code | PK-AJK |
| Main language(s) | |
| Literacy rate (2017) | 74% |
| HDI (2019) | 0.612 Medium |
| Divisions | 3 |
| Districts | 10 |
| Tehsils | 33 |
| Union Councils | 182 |
| Website | www |
The territory has a parliamentary form of government modelled after the British Westminster system, with the city of Muzaffarabad serving as its capital. The President of AJK is the constitutional head of state, while the Prime Minister, supported by a Council of Ministers, is the chief executive. The unicameral Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly elects both the Prime Minister and President. The territory has its own Supreme Court and a High Court, while the Government of Pakistan's Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan serves as a link between itself and Azad Jammu and Kashmir's government, although the autonomous territory is not represented in the Parliament of Pakistan.
Northern Azad Kashmir lies in a region that experiences strong vibrations of the earth as a result of the Indian plate underthrusting the Eurasian plate. A major earthquake in 2005 killed at least 100,000 people and left another three million people displaced, causing widespread devastation to the region's infrastructure and economy. Since then, with help from the Government of Pakistan and foreign aid, reconstruction of infrastructure is underway. Azad Kashmir's economy largely depends on agriculture, services, tourism, and remittances sent by members of the British Mirpuri community. Nearly 87% of Azad Kashmiri households own farm property, and the region has the highest rate of school enrollment in Pakistan and a literacy rate of approximately 74%.