Is Azad Kashmir in India?

‘Free 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.

Is Azad Kashmir free?

Brad Adams, the Asia director at Human Rights Watch has said in 2006 “Although ‘azad’ means ‘free,’ the residents of Azad Kashmir are anything but free. The Pakistani authorities govern Azad Kashmir with strict controls on basic freedoms”.

Is Azad Kashmir its own country?

Azad (“Free”) Kashmir, established in 1947 after the partition of India, is neither a province nor an agency of Pakistan but has a government of its own that is regarded by Pakistan as “independent,” even though it is protected by and economically and administratively linked to Pakistan.

Does India control Azad Kashmir?

India controls approximately 55% of the land area of the region that includes Jammu, the Kashmir Valley, most of Ladakh, the Siachen Glacier, and 70% of its population; Pakistan controls approximately 35% of the land area that includes Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan; and China controls the remaining 20% of the land …

Who sold Kashmir to India?

Under the terms of the Treaty of Amritsar that followed in March 1846, the British government sold Kashmir for a sum of 7.5 million Nanakshahee rupees to Gulab Singh, hereafter bestowed with the title of Maharaja.

Is Azad Kashmir safe?

Azad Kashmir is quite a safe and peaceful region. Crime-wise also Azad Kashmir is considered to be relatively safe. Sometimes, temperatures go below freezing, especially in the winter; dress accordingly.

Who owned Kashmir first?

Thus, the Kashmir region in its contemporary form dates from 1846, when, by the treaties of Lahore and Amritsar at the conclusion of the First Sikh War, Raja Gulab Singh, the Dogra ruler of Jammu, was created maharaja (ruling prince) of an extensive but somewhat ill-defined Himalayan kingdom “to the eastward of the …

Where is Azad Kashmir located in relation to India?

The territory lies west of the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir, and was part of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. This is a part of the larger region of Kashmir, which has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947.

Who is the chairman of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Council?

The Azad Jammu and Kashmir Council is a supreme body consisting of 14 members, 8 from the government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and 6 from the government of Pakistan. Its chairman/chief executive is the prime minister of Pakistan.

How big is Azad Kashmir compared to Gilgit Baltistan?

Azad Kashmir is one-sixth of the size of Gilgit-Baltistan. The territory also borders Pakistan’s Punjab province to the south and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to the west. To the east, Azad Kashmir is separated from the state of Jammu and Kashmir by the Line of Control, the de facto border between India and Pakistan.

What kind of vegetation does Azad Kashmir have?

Thorn scrub and coarse grass are the dominant forms of vegetation in the south; this scrubland gives way to pine forests at higher elevations in the north. Wheat, barley, corn (maize), millet, and livestock are raised in the lower valleys and support relatively high population densities.