Bhimber District
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Bhimber District (Urdu: ضلع بھمبر) is a district of Pakistan-administered Azad Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region. It is the southernmost of the 10 districts of Pakistan's territory of Azad Kashmir. It has an area of 1,516 km², and the district headquarter is the town of Bhimber.
History
Bhimber was the Capital of the Chib dynasty which lasted from 1400 to 1846.The area is 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.
It is strategically important from defense and military standpoint. Due to its location, it became known as the Gateway to Kashmir (Bab-e-Kashmir).
During the 1947 Poonch rebellion and subsequent Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948 Bhimber was captured by the Azad Kashmir rebels supported by Pakistan and became a part of the Azad Kashmir.
Previously, Bhimber was a tehsil of the Mirpur District but was elevated to district status in 1996.
Demographics
According to the 2017 census, the population of the district is 420,624.
Social groups
Punjabi, Pahari, Dogras and Gujjars are the main groups/tribes of the Bhimber district. Other social groups in the district are Rajput, Jat, Mirza and Mughal.
Language
The main native languages are Punjabi (spoken by 35% of the population), Pahari (Mirpuri) (30%), Dogri (30%) and Gujari (5%). Urdu language has 'official' status.
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:
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.
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.
External links
- Azad Kashmir travel guide from Wikivoyage