Mirpur - Land of A Great Dam

Location:

Mirpur District is located at the extreme South of the Kashmir 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. 

Description:

The people of this area are basically agriculturalist belonging to Jatt and Rajput castes, with strong cultural links to the Pothwar region 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 show 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. 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.

Places to See:

Islam Garh:

Islam Garh (formerly Akhal Garh) is a post office town in Distric Mirpur. Many people from the Islam Garh area settled in the UK. 1 km distant, A village Mohra Malkan (old name was Mohra Bedrahn) is consists of 50 Houses. All people are settled here are AWAN by caste. Most of Population of this village are abroad in the UK. Literacy Rate of the people is 90%. Morah Malkan comes in Union Council Andrah Kalan. The morning view of this village from west side is so beautiful and atractive. There is another village nearby called Chak Haryam. This village is great and is one of the biggest villages in this area.  Most people have now settled in the UK.

Mangla:

Mangla is a small beautiful modern town. It is situated at a distance of 110 kilometers from Islamabad and is 15 kilometers short of Mirpur City. The construction of Mangla reservoir having perimeter of 100 kilometers and presence of Mangla and Ramkot Forts of Mughal period have turned this place into an attractive tourist spot. Mangla has special attraction for the tourists coming on short visits because of its proximity to Jhelum, Lahore and Rawalpindi / Islamabad. 

Mirpur:

Mirpur, the district headquarters is situated at an elevation of 459 meters A.S.L. It is linked with the main Peshawar- Karachi Grand Trunk Road at Dina, a small town about 15 kilometers short of Jhelum city. 

The construction of Mangla Dam converted the old Mirpur town into a big artificial lake and effected a population of about 50,000. But it paved the way for existing new Mirpur town situated on the bank of Mangla Lake. The city is well planned and buildings are mostly of modern design. Mirpur has developed into an industrial city very rapidly. All the basic amenities of life are available in Mirpur. Colleges, hospitals, banks, shopping centers, hotels, telephone & telegraph units, Forest , PWD, Industries and Tourist rest houses exist in the city. Bus and wagon transport services are also available. 

Known as the shopping capital of Azad Kashmir, Mirpur has a large and diverse shopping area, centred around Chowk Shaheeda & Mian Mohammed Road. There are many stores, plazas, shopping malls & markets in these thoroughfares, selling everything from hand made pottery to international brands. The under construction Nosha Shopping Centre will be one of the largest shopping centres of the city when completed.

Auto Rickshaws are very popular mode of transport for short routes within the city. Many of the new rickshaws in the city use Compressed natural gas (CNG) instead of the petrol engines as CNG is environmentally clean and cheaper compared petrol.

Ramkot Fort:

Picturesquely located on the summit of a hill. 3 sides of this hill top are surrounded by River Jhelum (ancient Vitasta). In the 16th - 17th century A.D. the Muslim rulers of Kashmir in safe guarding their boundaries built numerous forts. Ramkot, sitting atop at the confluance of the river Jhelum & Poonch is one of them. The Sikh Maharaja of Kashmir further fortified Ramkot. 

Ramkot Fort is located on the opposite side of the Mirpur Town and one has to cross Mangla Lake on boat to reach there. A 10 minutes travel by road from Mirpur leads to Sukhian and nearby Army Water Sports Club from where boats are available for access to Ramkot Fort. It takes 45 minutes to reach there. 

Ramkot Fort can also be visited from Mirpur via Dudyial-Baily Kathaar route (77 Km) but from Baily Kathaar onward there is no regular road so it is better to travel from Sukhian by boat. 

Khari Sharif:

Located 8Km from Mirpur is Khari Sharif. Jatan has become the main commercial centre for all Khari Sharif and half of District Bhimber. It is located at the borders of both Districts Mirpur and Bhimber. The area has a population of 150.000. 60% of the population lives below poverty line, earning less than a £ a day.

Dadyal:

Dadyal is a hilly tehsil of Mirpur district adjoining Rawalpindi.  It has pleasant scenery and climate. The main town of Dadyal is modern and a shoppers paradise.

Where to Buy:

Mirpur is also known as the shopping capital of Azad Kashmir. Mirpur has a large and diverse shopping area, centred around Chowk Shaheeda & Mian Mohammed Road. There are many stores, plazas, shopping malls & markets in these thoroughfares, selling everything from hand made pottery to international brands.

The under construction Nosha Shopping Centre will be one of the largest shopping centers of the city when completed.

Where to Sleep:

There are various guest houses, rest houses, motels and hotels at most of the tourist spots which can be booked in advance from their offices in Muzaffarabad.

How to Reach:

By Bus:

Mirpur has the biggest & busiest bus network in Azad Kashmir, running from early hours of the morning to late night. Daily routes includes Dadyal, Bhimber District, Dina, Gujrat, Jhelum, Kharian & Kotli District. The new flying coachs travel from larger cities of Pakistan including Bahawalpur, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Muzaffarabad, Peshawar, Quetta, Rawalpindi & Sialkot.

By Air:

The nearest commercial airport is the Islamabad International Airport, which is approx. 80 Miles (130 km) by road from Mirpur city. There is a small military airport at Mangla which is approximately 20 km from Mirpur city.