Backdrop

On the termination of British rule over the Sub-Continent two independent States, Pakistan and India emerged in August 1947, in view of geographical, religious and historical links the people of Jammu & Kashmir State demanded freedom from the rule of Maharaja Hari Singh and the accession of the State to Pakistan. The Maharaja, ignoring the wishes of the Muslim majority, instead, entered into an unfortunate conspiracy with the Hindu leadership and acceded to India. This sparked the liberation movement of the Muslim population of the State against the Dogra and Indian forces in Kashmir. As a result of this, a part of the State was liberated from the Dogra cum Indian domination in October 1947, and named Azad State of Jammu & Kashmir.

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General Information

The state of Azad Jammu and Kashmir lies between longitude 73º - 75º and latitude 33º - 36º and comprises of 5,134 square miles or 13,297 square kilometers of area. The topography is mainly hilly and mountainous with valleys and stretches of plains. The area is full of natural beauty with thick forest, fast flowing rivers and winding streams. The main rivers are Jehlum, Neelum and Poonch. The climate is sub-tropical highland type with an average yearly rainfall of 1300 mm. The elevation ranges from 360 meters in the south to 6325 meters in the north. The snowline is in winter is around 1200 meters above sea level while in the summer it rises to 3,300 meters.

The total population of 2.973 million according to the Population Census of 1998 is estimated to be 3.271 million in 2002. Almost 100% population is Muslim. Out of the total population, 87.5% are living in rural areas while 12.5% are urban residents. The population density is 246 persons per square kilometer. The literacy rate was reported as 55% in the 1998 census, is estimated to be 60% in 2002.

According to the most recent available survey by the Northern Resources Management Program with the assistance of Overseas Economic Research Institute, the average household income is around Rs. 101,900. Of the total Rs. 60,834 (59.7%) is income from the off-farm and other activities while Rs. 41,065 (40.3%) is termed as the farm income, which implies that Rs. 14,557 per capita is the total family income.

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The area under cultivation is around 170,787 hectares which is about 12.8% of the total area of AJK. According to the agricultural census of 1990, the average farm size is only 1.2 hectares, half of which is cultivated. A large proportion of farm land is uncultivable waste, including forest. Per Capita land holding is 0.159 hectares. The major crops are Maize followed by Wheat and Rice while the minor crops include Grams, Pulses, Oil-Seeds and Vegetables.

The area under fruit cultivation is about 14,460 hectares. The most important fruits are Apples, Pears, Apricots, Walnuts and Plums. The area controlled by the Forest Department is about 5100%,969 hectares, which is 42.6% of the total geographical area. Deodar, Kail, Fur, Spruce and Cheer are some of the most important species of trees under forests.