| Poonch | |
| — district — | |
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| Coordinates | |
| Country | India |
| State | Jammu and Kashmir |
| District(s) | Poonch |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+05:30) |
| Website | www.poonch.nic.in |
District Poonch or Punch (Urdu: ضلع پونچ) is one of the remotest districts of Jammu and Kashmir. It is bounded by the Line of Control (boundary between Indian and Pakistan-administered Kashmir) on three sides (north, west and south). The 1947-48 war between India and Pakistan divided it into two parts. One went to Pakistan and the other became part of the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir.
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The District headquarter is situated in the Poonch city. Presently District Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir is divided into four tehsils:
Each tehsil has its Tehsildar, who is the administrative head. The district is further divided into six blocks: Poonch, Mandi, Mendhar, Balakote, Surankote and Buffliaz.[1] The administrative head of each block is the Block Development Officer (BDO). Each block consists of a number of panchayats.
The Muslims of lower areas of Poonch i.e. Bagh and Rawalakot always resented the oppressive policies of the Dogra Maharaja of Jammu, after he took charge of Poonch in 1936. At the time of partition, there were rumours that Muslims were being massacred in Jammu. It enraged the Poonchies and they intensified the struggle for independence from Jammu. A major part of the district went to pakistan administration kashmir (PAK). During the 1947-48 war between India and Pakistan, Poonch city was under attack of tribals from Pakistan and the Pakistan army for about one year. It was in the month of November 1948 that Poonch city was re-united with Indian-administered Kashmir.
In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Poonch one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640).[2] It is one of the three districts in Jammu and Kashmir currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).[2]
Poonch District has 3 assembly constituencies: Surankote, Mendhar and Poonch Haveli. The present M.L.A of Haveli is Ajaz Jan of National Conference, Surankote-Mohd. Aslam of INC and Mendhar-Rafiq Khan of PDP.[3]
According to the 2011 census Poonch district, Jammu and Kashmir has a population of 476,820 ,[4] roughly equal to the nation of Suriname.[5] This gives it a ranking of 548th in India (out of a total of 640).[4] The district has a population density of 285 inhabitants per square kilometre (740 /sq mi) .[4] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 27.97 %.[4] Poonch has a sex ratio of 890 females for every 1000 males,[4] and a literacy rate of 68.69 %.[4] The district is 85% Muslim.[6]
Resident ethnicities include Gujjars, Bakerwals, Paharis, Punjabis, Kashmiris and Rajputs. Gujjars mostly reside on the slopes of mountains. They have small pieces of land for cultivation, and cattle for supplementing their economy. Bakerwals are nomadic tribes. Gujjars and Bakerwals speak Gojri whereas rest of the population (excluding Kashmiris) speak Pahari/Poonchi. The mother tongue is a great cementing factor of the Pahari speaking people because they remain closely associated with each other despite differing faiths.[7]
With the recent developments between India and Pakistan, the divided people are again coming into contact with each other. The opening of the Poonch-Rawalakot bus is an important step in this direction.
| Baramula district | Badgam district | |||
| Disputed region | ||||
| Poonch district | ||||
| Rajouri district | Kulgam district |
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