History
At the time of the Partition of India in 1947, the British abandoned
their suzerainty over the princely states, which were left with the
options of joining India or Pakistan or remaining independent. Hari
Singh, the maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, wanted his state to remain
independent. In order to buy some time, he signed a stand-still
agreement, which sidestepped the encouragement of the princely states to
join either India or Pakistan.[7] Later there was a revolution by
Muslims in the western part of the kingdom,[8] as raiders from the
North-West Frontier Province and the Tribal Areas feared that Hari Singh
might accede to the Union of India. In October 1947 they attacked
Kashmir, in an attempt to take control of the princely state. Initially
Hari Singh tried to resist their progress but failed. He then requested
the military help of India, which responded that it would not help him
unless he acceded to India. On 26 October 1947, Hari Singh signed an
Instrument of Accession,[9] and Indian troops were immediately airlifted
into Srinagar. Pakistan intervened subsequently.[8] Fighting ensued
between the Indian and Pakistani Armies, with two areas of control
stabilizing more or less around what is now the "Line of Control".[10]
Later, India approached the United Nations, asking it to solve the
dispute, and resolutions were passed in favour of the holding of a
plebiscite with regard to Kashmir's future. However, no such plebiscite
has ever been held on either side, since there was a precondition which
required the withdrawal of the Indian and Pakistani armies from the
parts of Kashmir under their respective control — a withdrawal that
never took place.[11] In 1949, a cease-fire line separating the Indian-
and Pakistani-controlled parts of Kashmir was formally put into effect.
Following the 1949 cease-fire agreement, the government of Pakistan
divided the northern and western parts of Kashmir which it held into the
following two separately-controlled political entities:
1. Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) - the narrow southern part, 250 miles
(400 km) long, with a width varying from 10 to 40 miles (16 to 64 km).
2. Gilgit–Baltistan formerly called Federally Administered Northern
Areas (FANA) - is the much larger area to the north of AJK, 72,496
square kilometres (27,991 sq mi); it was directly administered by
Pakistan as a de facto dependent territory, i.e. a non-self-governing
territory. However it was officially granted full autonomy on August 29,
2009.[12]
An area of Kashmir that was once under Pakistani control is the Shaksgam
tract—a small region along the northeastern border of the Northern
Areas that was provisionally ceded by Pakistan to the People's Republic
of China in 1963 and which now forms part of China's Uygur Autonomous
Region of Xinjiang.
In 1972, the then-current border between Pakistan and India, which
contained areas of Kashmir, was designated as the "Line of Control". The
Line of Control has remained unchanged[13] since the 1972 Simla
Agreement, which bound the two countries "to settle their differences by
peaceful means through bilateral negotiations". Some political experts
claim that, in view of that pact, the only solution to the issue is
mutual negotiation between the two countries without involving a third
party, such as the United Nations.
A devastating earthquake hit Azad Kashmir in 2005. |
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Geography and climate
The northern part of Azad Jammu
and Kashmir encompasses the lower area of the Himalayas, including
Jamgarh Peak (15,531 feet [4,734 meters]). However, Hari Parbat peak in
Neelum Valley is the highest peak in the state. Fertile, green,
mountainous valleys are characteristic of Azad Kashmir's geography,
making it one of the most beautiful regions of the subcontinent.[1] The
region receives rainfall in both the winter and the summer. Muzaffarabad
and Pattan are among the wettest areas of Pakistan. Throughout most of
the region, the average rainfall exceeds 1400 mm, with the highest
average rainfall occurring near Muzaffarabad (around 1800 mm). During
the summer season, monsoon floods of the rivers Jhelum and Leepa are
common due to extreme rains and snow melting. |
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