Poonch District, Pakistan

Poonch (Urdu: ضلع پونچھ ‎) is a district of the Pakistani territory of Azad Kashmir. Poonch district borders Indian-administered Kashmir's Poonch district and is part of the greater dispute between India and Pakistan. The capital of the district is Rawalakot.

For Poonch district administered by India, see Poonch district, India.
Poonch district, Azad Kashmir
District
Map of Azad Kashmir with Poonch highlighted
Coordinates: 33.8540°N 73.7507°E / 33.8540; 73.7507
CountryPakistan
TerritoryAzad Kashmir
HeadquartersRawalakot
Area
 • Total855 km2 (330 sq mi)
Population
 (2017)[1]
 • Total500,571
Time zoneUTC+5 (PST)

History
Main article: History of Poonch District

From the end of seventeenth century up to 1837 CE, Poonch was ruled by the Muslim Rajas of Loran in Tehsil Haveli. It then fell into the hands of Raja Faiztalab Punjab Government. Poonch was included in the transfer of the hilly country to Maharaja Gulab Singh of Jammu and Kashmir in 1848. Before this transfer, Poonch was considered a district of Lahore. Maharaja Gulab Singh granted Chibal, Poonch and other areas to Jawahar Singh and Moiti Singh. The Raja of Poonch had to present to the Maharaja one horse with gold trappings. The Raja of Poonch was not to effect any administrative changes in the territory of Poonch without prior consultation with the Maharaja of Kashmir.

Separation of Poonch
Main articles: 1947 Poonch rebellion and Indo-Pakistani War of 1947
Pakistan-administered portion of the 1947 Poonch district, now called the Poonch Division

After independence in 1947, there was a rebellion in the western part of the-then Poonch District. The rebels led by Sardar Muhammad Ibrahim Khan, sought support from the Dominion of Pakistan, which provided arms and then launched an invasion of its own, using Pashtun tribals. In response, the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir joined India, and the conflict turned into an Indo-Pakistani War. When a ceasefire was effected, the Poonch district was split across the two countries. The former capital city, Poonch, came under the Indian Poonch district. A new capital at Rawalakot was eventually established by Pakistan.

Of the four tehsils of the original Poonch district, viz., Bagh, Sudhnoti, Haveli, and Mendhar, the Pakistani Poonch Division included the first two and a portion of the third. All three tehsils were eventually made separate districts, and the new Poonch district was constituted in the centre of the Division by taking portions of the Bagh and Sudhnoti tehsils.

Administrative divisions

The district is administratively subdivided into 4 tehsils[2]:

Education

According to Pakistan District Education Ranking 2017, a report released by Alif Ailaan, the district of Poonch is ranked at number 8 nationally, with an education score of 73.52. Poonch is the most improved district in terms of middle schools over the past 5 years. The learning score of Poonch is 84.15.[3]

The school infrastructure score of district Poonch is 14.88, ranking the district at number 151, which places it in the bottom five districts in all of Pakistan relating to infrastructure. Schools in Poonch also have severe electricity problems, drinking water and boundary wall problems reflecting in their score of 2.67, 12.1 and 6.23 respectively.[3] The state of building of some schools are also a major safety risk for the students.

Transport

A bus across the LOC, the Poonch-Rawalakot bus has helped to re-establish ties across the border.

See also

References
  1. "Statistical Year Book 2019" (PDF). Statistics Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  2. "Tehsils of Poonch District on AJK map". ajk.gov.pk. AJK Official Portal. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  3. "Pakistan District Education Rankings 2017" (PDF). elections.alifailaan.pk. Alif Ailaan. Retrieved 17 November 2019.

Bibliography
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