Mirpur district

Mirpur ضلع میر پور
district
Coordinates:
Country	Pakistan
Established	1947
Headquarters	Mirpur
Area
• Total	1,010 km2 (390 sq mi)
Population
• Total	371,000
Time zone	PST (UTC+5)

Mirpur District (Urdu: ضلع میر پور) is a district in Azad Kashmir. The district is named after the main city, Mirpur. The District of Mirpur has a population of 371,000 and covers an area of 1,010 km² (390 sq mi). The district is mainly mountainous with some plains. Its hot, dry climate and other geographical conditions closely resemble those of Jhelum and Gujrat, the adjoining districts of Pakistan.

Language and history

Prior to the independence of Pakistan and India, Mirpur was part of the Jammu division of the independent state of Jammu and Kashmir. The Jammu division is separated from ethnic Kashmiris in Kashmir Valley by the Pir Panjal mountain range. Hence Mirpuri population is linguistically and ethnically Pahari/Pothwari. The vast majority belong to the Jatt ethnic group followed by the Rajputs and then the Gujjars. The rest were up until the 1950s called massalis and were known for a trade like nais, mistrys, tarkhans, chamars, mochis, telis and others. These groups eventually left their massalin Mirpuri Potohari, Majh and Gojri dialects of Punjabi Language are the predominant languages of the district. Other languages spoken include Urdu and English.

Government

Map of Mirpur district

Map of Mirpur (centre left) in Azad Kashmir

Mirpur District is located in southwestern Kashmir, and west of the Jammu province. It is part of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, which comes under the protection of Pakistan. Part of Jammu is currently managed by India. Both countries are currently in dispute as to which country owns Jammu and Kashmir. The district is administratively subdivided into two tehsils:

• Dadyal
• Mirpur

Tourism

• Islamgarh (town)
• Kakra (town) - Located 12 km from Mirpur - comes between Mirpur and Islamgarh.
• Khari Sharif - located 8 km from Mirpur; it is famous for its Sufi shrines.
• Mangla, a town 16 km from Mirpur; it is situated at the mouth of the Mangla Dam.
• Rajoa
• Ramkot Fort
• Sahalia

Education

According to the Alif Ailaan Pakistan District Education Rankings 2015, Mirpur is ranked 13 out of 148 districts in terms of education. For facilities and infrastructure, the district is ranked 87 out of 148.

Refugees

Erstwhile Mirpur District (including present-day Bhimber District) has a considerable refugee population (like refugees in Karachi) They are from almost all the castes; however, Mirpur (especially Tehsil Dadyal) has predominantly Jat and Gujjar caste refugees. The villages of Jat refugees in Tehsil Dadyal are Mohra Kanyal, Malkan and Mehndir Colony. A vast majority from Mohra Malkan has shifted to Village Khairowal Jattan, Tehsil Barnala, Distt Bhimber in 1974 where each family was allotted 64 Kanals of agricultural land. However, many of the families which shifted to Khairowal or Chamb still have nostaligic feelings of their days in Dadyal and great people of Dadyal. They do not miss an opportunity (funeral, weddings, festivals) to enjoy their occasional reunions with the inhabitants of Mohra Malkan and other nearby villages like Chapran, Mehra etc.

Villages

Mirpur tehsil

Afzalpur, Abdulahpur, Andrah Kalan, Arah Jagir, Ballah, Banni , Burjan, Chabrian Dattan, Chak Haryam, Chandral, Chatan, Chechian, Chitterpari, Dalyala, Dheri Thothal, Ghaseetpur Awan, Ghaseetpur Sohalian, Islamgarh, Jatlan, Jangian Kotla, Kakra, Kalyal Bhainsi, Kas Kalyal, Khari Sharif, Khokhar, Mehmunpur, Nagial, Pindi Subherwal, Potha Bainsi, Sahang, Saleemabad, SukhChainPur, Nawan Garan, Gorsian, Chak Ghayan.

Dadyal tehsil

Amb, Chattroh, Haveli Baghal, Kathar Dilawar, Mandi, Mohra Malkan, Mohra Sher Shah, Rajoa, Ratta, Sahalia, Siakh Pahaith, Thalarajwali Khan, Thub Jagir, Ankar Raajgan.