AZAD JAMMU KASHMIR

History

• Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) is a self-governing administrative region in Pakistan, located in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent. It shares borders with the Pakistani provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the south and west, the Wakhan Corridor of Afghanistan to the northwest, the Xinjiang region of China to the northeast, and the Indian-administered union territories of Jammu and Kashmir to the east and Ladakh to the southeast. Here is a brief historical overview of Azad Jammu and Kashmir: 1947 Partition and Accession to Pakistan.

 

• Following the partition of British India in 1947, the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir became a crucial and contentious territory. The Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, Hari Singh, had to decide whether to accede to India or Pakistan. In October 1947, faced with an invasion by tribal forces supported by Pakistan, Maharaja Hari Singh sought military assistance from India and acceded to India in exchange for military aid. First Kashmir War (1947-1948): The accession of Jammu and Kashmir to India led to the first Indo-Pakistani war. The conflict centered on the control of the region, with both countries claiming it.
   
• The war ceased with a United Nations-brokered ceasefire in December 1948, establishing the Line of Control (LoC) that divided the region into parts administered by India and Pakistan. Azad Jammu and Kashmir's Formation: The territory that came to be known as Azad Jammu and Kashmir refers to the part of the former princely state that Pakistan controls. The term "Azad" means "Free," and AJK is often referred to as "Free Kashmir" in Pakistan. In 1949, a ceasefire line was established, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir was established as a self-governing administrative region under the control of Pakistan. Political Structure: Azad Jammu and Kashmir has its own elected president and prime minister, but its con