FYSAL Form Mirpur

Mirpur is a district in Pakistan's Azad Kashmir Territory. This area was historically part of the original state of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Chief town is Mirpur City. Mirpur District is located at the extreme south of the Jammu and Kashmir state within the Azad Jammu region of the territory administered by Pakistan from Islamabad. Azad Kashmir has been considered politically, constitutionally and geographically as part of a separate state, i.e. Jammu & Kashmir. The said state is disputed territory and has been controlled by both Pakistan and India, since their independence, 14 / 15th August 1947, respectively. Azad Kashmir is under the in-direct control of Pakistan and its area is known as Azad Jammu & Kashmir. Its defense, foreign policy and currency are the matters, which are under the direct control of Pakistan.
Consequently, the financial matter, i.e. budget and tax affaires have been dealt with Azad Jammu & Kashmir Council, instead of Central Board of Revenue. Azad Jammu & Kashmir Council is a supreme body, consisted upon 11 members, 6 members are from the Government of Azad Jummu & Kashmir, 5 members are from the Government of Pakistan. Also its chairman / chief executive is always the President of Pakistan. Hence, the rest of members are Azad Kashmir's own Prime Minister and President and some ministers, (also note that Azad Kashmir has its own president, prime minister and legislative assembly also supreme-court and high-court & other departments). The Central Board of Revenue (CBR) is responsible for tax affaires of rest of all Pakistani territory, i.e. all four provinces and the capital, Islamabad.
Mirpur District is located at the extreme South of the State and is linked with Pakistan and the districts of Azad Kashmir through several routes. District Mirpur comprises partly plain and partly hilly areas. Its hot and dry climate and other geographical conditions closely resemble to those of Jhelum and Gujrat, the adjoining Districts of Pakistan.
The people of this area are basically agriculturalist belonging to Jatt and Rajput castes, with strong cultural links to the Pothwarand Hazara regions of Pakistan. The Mirpur area was traditionally a recruiting ground for the British Indian army. The people of this region are considered to be part of the 'martial tribes' as designated by the British. Mirpuri soldiers showed there bravery in both world wars.
People from this region of Jammu and Kashmir have historically looked abroad for employment. Many a ship employed Mirpuri boiler men in the age of steam. During the two world wars many Mirpuris enlisted in the merchant navy and armed services. During the last four decades a large number of people from this district have gone abroad, especially to United Kingdom for earning their livelihood. The Mangla Dam project in the early sixties resulted in the displacement of a large number of people, who under an agreement between the Pakistan government and the British government, were allowed to settle in the UK. Where they are usually known as Kashmiri-Pakistani and playing their role in the British society, British economy and their politics etc;
As such, they are today the major foreign exchange earning resource for Pakistan. Around 50,000 people were moved from this district in the mid-sixties to make way for the construction of Mangla Dam, but corrupt handling of funds meant long drawn out delays in completing the project. Most of these people settled in new Mirpur whilst some moved elsewhere in Pakistan or to the UK.
As it adjoins the industrial cities of Pakistan, the Government of Azad Jammu & Kashmir has successfully endeavored to develop it as an industrial place and promote private investment for establishing Textile, vegetable fat ('ghee'), garments, scooters, cosmetics and many other industries.

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Mirpur
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Mirpurمیر پور

General Information

Country
Pakistan
Province
Kashmir
Altitude
metres AMSL
Time zone
PST (UTC+5)
No. of Towns

Estimate
[1] 2006
Government

No. of Union Councils

Mirpur (Urdu: میر پور) is a city of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The name means city of Mir. Many of the people of this area are farmers. Since the 1960s, a large number of people from this district have gone abroad, especially to the United Kingdom and the Middle East, for economic reasons. As such they are today the major foreign exchange earning source for Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Around 50,000 people were moved from this district in the mid-sixties to make way for the construction of the Mangla Dam. Most of these people settled in new Mirpur whilst some moved elsewhere in Pakistan or to the UK.
Contents
[hide]
· 1 Mirpur City
· 2 Surroundings
· 2.1 Mangla
· 2.2 Khari Sharif
· 2.3 Bhimber
· 2.4 Jandi Chontra
· 2.5 Baghsar
· 2.6 Bandala
· 2.7 Chah Mochian
· 3 Sources and references

[edit] Mirpur City
Mirpur is one of the districts which are a part of Pakistan-administered Kashmir; it is noteworthy that this region has all the trappings of an autonomous state. However Pakistan-administered Kashmir, actually being 'azad' or free is a notion contested by a many number of writers, Indian officials and Kashmiris themselves. There is cumbersome argument that Islamabad’s Ministry of Kashmir Affairs has a great level of control over Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, and that there can be little doubt that Pakistan-administered Kashmir has in fact always been kept on a very tight leash. Well whatever the case may be, it is a matter of fact that the semi-autonomous region of Pakistan-administered Kashmir has its own laws, and the laws of Pakistan do not extend or apply to Pakistan-administered Kashmir. This is in stark contrast to the situation on the opposite side of the Line of Control (LOC) in Indian-occupied Kashmir (Maqbuzah Kashmir - "Held Kashmir") where a bloody freedom struggle against Hindustani Imperialism continues to this day.
The Mangla Dam project is by far the most controversial project administered by Pakistan on Pakistan-administered Kashmir land, with little or no consultation with the very people who had to give up their homes for its development. The impact of the scheme can be felt even today and for Mirpuris the sense of Kashmiri nationalism was vigorously reinforced. Many Kashmiris feel that Pakistan has unashamedly exploited both their environmental resources and their hard earned financial assets. The project has also effected immigration and overseas Mirpuri diaspora, people have not forgotten or recovered from their forcible eviction from their homes so that Mangla could be built.
Mirpur city is situated at 459 meters above sea-level and is linked with the main Peshawar-Lahore Grand Trunk road at Dina Tehsil. It is the headquarter of district Mirpur, which comprises of three sub-divisions, Mirpur, Chaksawari & Dadyal. The building of the new city in late sixties paved the way for new Mirpur situated on the banks of Mangla lake. In fact the remains of the old city (old Mirpur) are underneath the waters of the Mangla Lake, during colder months the water level decreases such that you can see the tops of minarets from the old mosques, and also the remnants of a Sikh gurdwara, a glimpse of pre-independence times when there were many faiths co-existing in Kashmir as a whole. Mirpur was well planned and the buildings are mostly of modern design, in addition there is significant inward investment from ex-pats now living in the UK and the Middle East. The city has sufficient number of quality hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and other urban facilities.
Mirpur is developing into an industrial city very rapidly. Foam, Polypropylene, Synthetic yarn, Motorbikes, Textile, vegetable ghee, logging and sawmills, soap, cosmetics, marble, ready-made garments, matches, rosin, turpentine and scooter industrial units have already been established in the area. However, much of the infrastructure still needs further development in order to compete on a national level. As part of the relief/compensation package in the wake of Mangla Dam Raising Project, a New City is being developed along the southeastern outskirts of Mirpur. Civil works at huge scale are going on around the whole district, by the Pakistani & Chinese contractors for raising the dam. Four towns in the district have been planned besides the new city, to resettle the population affected by the project.

[edit] Surroundings

[edit] Mangla
Mangla is a small but beautiful modern town situated 16Km from Mirpur at the mouth of the Mangla Dam. The construction of the Dam reservoir, which has a perimeter of 400Km, has turned it into a place of interest. A castle situated on the lake-side serves as a historical back-drop.There is also a power station situated in yhe Mangla dam which is the second largest power station of Pakistan.

[edit] Khari Sharif
Located 8Km from Mirpur is Khari Sharif. Known for housing the Shrine of the Sufi Saint known as Baba Pir-e-Shah Ghazi (Damrian Wali Sarkar). The place acts as a great seat of learning for students of Islam. Darvishs (disciples) of the Saint can be seen today wandering in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Pakistan. Also at Khari Sharif is the Shrine of the late Mian Mohammed Baksh who wrote the famous tale Saif-ul-Muluk. This tells of a Prince who fell in love with a fairy called Badi Jamal who he saw in a dream. The story chronicals his travels in search of the fairy and the spiritual lessons he learns on the way.
Also close to khari sharif is a local trading town called jatlaan which is situated 3 miles from khari sharif and this place is well known for it riches and deals. There is also a religious shrine called Peer-moliya which is located not far from this town, this shrine is dedicated to islam and it is told that who so ever goes to this shrine with true heart and asks for something their desires will be fullfilled.

[edit] Bhimber
Bhimber is southernmost district of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, situated 50Km from Mirpur. It has three sub-divisions Bhimber, Samahni and Barnala. The area is very rich in archaeological remains. Bhimber falls on the route that was followed by the Moghul rulers of India for their frequent visits to the Kashmir Valley.

[edit] Jandi Chontra
Jandi Chontra is a scenic spot located 17Km from Bhimber and 67Km from Mirpur. The area is known for its panaromic views. The Shrine of the Sufi Saint Baba Shadi Shaheed is also located here.

[edit] Baghsar
Baghsar is situated at 975 m above sea-level in the Samahni valley. The Sar, local name for a lake, is nearly half kilometre long sheet of clear water that soothes the senses of the visitor. On top of a hill is the famous Moghul Fort over-looking the lake that adds grandeur to the area. This four storey massive structure of granite is a feat of Mughal engineering that has stood the ravages of time. It has also played important roles in history during the times of Ahmed Shah Abdali, Ranjit Singh and Gulab Singh. It is said that the Mughal Emperor Janghir, on his way back from the Kashmir Valley, fell ill and ultimately died in this fort.

[edit] Bandala
Bandala is one of the most beautiful valleys of Jammu & Kashmir. It is located about 80 km from Mirpur and 26 km from Bhimber. The valley is stretched from river Tawi in the east to the Samahni valley in the west. The Reech Pahari(bear mountain) runs parallel on the northern side and the Baghsar mountain on the southern side. The valley is about 10 kilometres long and about 1.5 kilometres wide. It joins the valley of Samahni at Sara e Saadabad and Chitti Mitti. Many streams flow through the valley producing extremely beautiful cascades,rapids,falls and natural swimming pools.

[edit] Chah Mochian
This village is one of the most beautiful small villages in the Mirpur district this is because of it vast wildlife and vast designs of buildings which make this village special. This village has a meaning to its name, It is said that once this village was woodland and there was a wedding party going through this wood, when the bride was thirsty. the bride asked her father for water as there was no water there this old man took the name of Allah and hit his stick on the ground and there was a water spring. This was the first spring of its kind in this woodland and so because of this miracle a shrine was dedicated to him in this village and the village took its name from the saint.

[edit] Sources and references
· WorldSatesmen- Pakistani polities
· Pictures of Mirpur
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirpur"
Categories: Pakistan-occupied Kashmir Cities and towns in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir
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