Bhimber District

Bhimber District

ضلع بھمبر
Bhimber District ضلع بھمبر
District of Azad Jammu and Kashmir
	Bhimber
	Map of Azad Kashmir with the Bhimber District highlighted in red
Administering country	Pakistan
Dependent territory	Azad Kashmir
Division	Mirpur Division
Headquarters	Bhimber
Area
• Total	1,516 km2 (585 sq mi)
Population (2017)
• Total	420,624
• Density	277/km2 (720/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Urdu
• Spoken	Punjabi; Pahari-Pothwari; Gojri;
Number of tehsils	3

The Bhimber District (Urdu:ضلع بھمبر) is the southernmost district of the 10 districts of Pakistan's dependent territory of Azad Kashmir. It has an area of 1516 km², and the district headquarter is the town of Bhimber. Bhimber was previously a state of Kashmir. It is historical place of Azad Kashmir. Raja Sultan Khan was chained, blinded and killed by Maharaja Gulab Singh and Ranjeet Singh in 1825 at Fort Bahu as he defeated the forces of Ranjeet Singh ( Maharaja of Punjab). Historically it is said that Raja Dharam (who later converted to Islam) had two sons named as Bhoom(بھوم) chand and Roop(روپ) chand. His state was bifurcated after his death. His Hindu son Bhoom chand (بھوم چند) built a colony (کالونی) which later named as Bhoompur (بھوم پور) and now Bhimber. Bhimber is famous for the fort of Baghsar which was built by Mughals. The road which connects Bhimber to Srinagar via Rajori is known as Mughal road or salt road built by Engr Qasim of the Great Mughal Emperor Akbar. The touristic points are Dev vatala , Baghsar , Thub patani and the valley of Samahni. Bhimber is strategically important site from defense and military standpoint. Politically it is one of the most significant constituency of AJK. It is a gateway to Kashmir and Punjab as well. Bhimber is in one of the top 10 districts of Pakistan with regard to the literacy rate. Most people are connected with the field of agriculture. There are significant number of people who are working in the foreign countries to earn their livelihood.

History[]

The area is very rich in archeological remains due to its strategic location on the route that was followed by the Mughal emperors on their frequent visits to the Kashmir Valley. Due to its location, it became known as the Gateway to Kashmir (Bab-e-Kashmir). Previously, Bhimber was a tehsil of the Mirpur District but was elevated to district status in 1996.

Location[]

The Bhimber District is bounded on the north by the Kotli District, on the east by the Rajouri District and the Jammu District of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, on the south by the Gujrat District of Pakistan's Punjab Province, and on the west by the Mirpur District. The town of Bhimber is 50 km from the city of Mirpur.

Administrative divisions[]

The Bhimber District is subdivided into three tehsils:^[3]

Demography[]

According to the 2017 census, the population of the district is 420,624.^[4]

Education[]

According to the Alif Ailaan Pakistan District Education Rankings 2015, the Bhimber District ranked 10th out of 145 districts in Pakistan and its two dependent territories in terms of education. For facilities and infrastructure, the district ranked 116 out of 145.^[5]

Climate[]

The southern zone of the Mirpur Division has a climate similar to the neighbouring areas of the Punjab province. Hot summer temperatures are often over 45 C from May to September. Winters are cold, and rainfall is concentrated in the monsoon season from late June to the end of August. There is often a prolonged dry period from October to early January, followed by winter rains from mid-January to March.

Notes[]

^ Snedden (2013, p. 176): On p. 29, the census report states that Urdu is the official language of the government of Azad Kashmir, with Kashmiri, Pahari, Gojri, Punjabi, Kohistani, Pushto, and Sheena 'frequently spoken in Azad Kashmir'. Yet, when surveyed about their 'mother tongue', Azad Kashmiris' choices were limited to selecting from Pakistan's major languages: Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pushto, Balochi, Saraiki, and 'others'; not surprisingly, 2.18 million of Azad Kashmir's 2.97 million people chose 'others'.