Azad Kashmir (Pakistan)

 

Azad Kashmir, also known as Azad Jammu and Kashmir, is a self governing territory, administrated by Pakistan. Jammu and Kashmir is divided among India and Pakistan on the Line of Control by UN. Both of the countries claims the entire state of Kashmir as their own but issue was still under the conflict between Pakistan and India since 1949.

The maharaja Hari Singh was the ruler of Jammu and Kashmir and willing to give control of the state to India in 1947. That decision was the against the people of Jammu and Kashmir due to the majority of them were Muslims at that time, so people of Kashmir stood against the maharaja. Then thousands of Pashtun from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa moved toward Jammu and Kashmir to liberate Jammu and Kashmir. They captured the area near the state capital Srinagar. So the Maharaja requested India for military assistance and Indian Army got the remaining part of the state and war was initiated between India and Pakistan. After that, India approached the United Nations to resolve the conflict and then UN declared a cease-fire between India and Pakistan by setting a Line of Control in 1972 to hold the captured parts of Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan. Kashmir issue is one of the main agenda in Pakistani foreign affairs policy.

Azad Kashmir has its own self-governing legislative assembly under the control of Pakistan to administrate the Pakistani controlled parts of Jammu and Kashmir. Prime minister of Pakistan is mandatory member of the AJK legislative assembly.

Azad Jammu and Kashmir is situated on the lower part of the Himalayas, the Sarwali peak in the Neelum Valley is the highest peak in the region. Whole region is composed of lush green and fertile mountainous valleys, which attracts number of visitors from all around Pakistan and other countries. It is connected with Pakistani province of Punjab on the south side and the Gilgit-Baltistan region on the east part.

The climate in northern part of Kashmir is cold and chilly in winters and moderate in summers, whereas southern part is extremely hot in summers and moderate in winters, but these areas receive monsoon in summers.