c) "Kashmir", Encyclopedia Americana, Scholastic Library Publishing, 2006, p.328, ISBN 978-0-7172-0139-6, archived from the original on January 17, 2023 , retrieved September 20, 2019 C. E Bosworth, University of Manchester Quote: "KASHMIR, kash'mer, the northernmost region of the Indian subcontinent, administered partlv by India, partly by Pakistan, and partly by China. The region has been the subject of a bitter dispute between India and Pakistan since they became independent in 1947"; a b Bertil Lintner (25 January 2018). China's India War: Collision Course on the Roof of the World. OUP India. p.85. ISBN 978-0-19-909163-8. The name Aksai Chin means 'the desert of white stones' a b Government of Punjab (1862). Report on the Trade and Resources of the Countries on the North-western Boundary of British India. Lahore: Government Press. pp.xxii. c. the "Aksai Chin," or as the term implies the great Chinese white desert or plain.

a b The application of the term "administered" to the various regions of Kashmir and a mention of the Kashmir dispute is supported by the tertiary sources (a) through (e), reflecting due weight in the coverage. Although "controlled" and "held" are also applied neutrally to the names of the disputants or to the regions administered by them, as evidenced in sources (h) through (i) below, "held" is also considered politicized usage, as is the term "occupied," (see (j) below). a b c 夏征农; 陈至立, eds. (September 2009). 辞海：第六版彩图本[ Cihai (Sixth Edition in Color)] (in Chinese). 上海. Shanghai: 上海辞书出版社. Shanghai Lexicographical Publishing House. p.0008. ISBN 9787532628599. 阿克赛钦 地名区。维吾尔语意即"中国的白石滩"。在新疆维吾尔自治区和田县南部、喀喇昆仑山和昆仑山间。 Jabeen, Nazish; Malik, Sajid (June 2014), "Consanguinity and Its Sociodemographic Differentials in Bhimber District, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan", Journal of Health, Population, and Nutrition, 32 (2): 301–313, PMC 4216966, PMID 25076667, Kashmiri population in the northeast of Pakistan has strong historical, cultural and linguistic affinities with the neighbouring populations of upper Punjab and Potohar region of Pakistan.The flag symbolises various aspects of the state. [8] According to the Azad Kashmir government, the green field represents the region's Muslim majority population; the gold canton represents the religious minorities; the white stripes represent the snow-peaked mountains of the state, and the green stripes alternating with them represent the Valley of Kashmir. [1] The star and crescent is a national icon which also features on Pakistan's flag. [1] See also [ edit ] a b "AJ&K Portal". ajk.gov.pk. Archived from the original on November 16, 2016 . Retrieved November 16, 2016. a b Sven Anders Hedin; Nils Peter Ambolt (1967). Central Asia Atlas, Memoir on Maps: Index of geographical names, by D.M. Farquhar, G. Jarring and E. Norin. Sven Hedin Foundation, Statens etnografiska museum. p.12. Aksai Chin, region between the K'unlun main range and the Loqzung Mountains: T. eq say 'white gravelly plain' + cin '(of) China' (Cin, earliest designation by which China was known in Central Asia). Dhund – They are a large clan in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and live mostly in the Bagh, Hattian Bala, and Muzaffarabad districts. They also inhabit Abbottabad and upper Potohar Punjab in large numbers. [62] [63] [64] Kapoor, Sindhu (2014), Politics of Protests in Jammu and Kashmir from 1925 to 1951 (PhD thesis), University of Jammu, hdl: 10603/78307– via Shodhganga

a b Bob Butalia (30 September 2015). In the Shadow of Destiny. Partridge Publishing India. p.271. ISBN 978-1-4828-5791-7. 'Aksai Chin' in translation means 'White Brook Pass'. The flag was adopted on 24 September 1975 via the Azad Jammu and Kashmir State Flag Ordinance, passed by founding President Sardar Muhammad Ibrahim Khan. [1] It was designed in 1948 by Abdul Haq Mirza, a mujahid working at the Rawalpindi headquarters of the Azad Kashmir rebellion, as the "Kashmir Liberation Flag". Mirza also created the formation signs of the Kashmir Liberation Force. [2] [4] By the end of the 1950s, in addition to having constructed a road, numerous PLA Ground Force outposts were constructed in a few locations, including at Tianwendian, [69] Kongka Pass, [70] Heweitan [71] and Tianshuihai. [72] The road was later upgraded to the China National Highway 219. In the modern day, there are a few businesses along the highway serving motorists. [73] Posthumous works (other than those above) enter the public domain after 60 years from publication date, counted from the beginning of the following calendar year. Administrative Setup". ajk.gov.pk. Archived from the original on April 9, 2010 . Retrieved May 17, 2010.The literacy rate in Azad Kashmir was 62% in 2004, higher than in any other region of Pakistan. [86] The current literacy rate of Azad Kashmir is 76.60% in 2018. [87] And it remained at 79.80% in 2019. According to the 2020–2021 census, the literacy rate in Azad Kashmir was 91.34%. [88] However, only 2.2% were graduates, compared to the average of 2.9% for Pakistan. [89] Universities The Akasy region is sparely populated region with few settlements such as Heweitan, Khurnak Fort, Tianshuihai and Dahongliutan and Kangxiwar which lays north of it, with the latter being the forward headquarters of the Xinjiang Military Command during the 1962 Sino-Indian War. Minahan, James (2002). Encyclopedia of the Stateless Nations: D-K. Greenwood Publishing Group. p.955. ISBN 9780313321108.

Aksai Chin is an arid region divided between India [2] and China, mostly controlled by China as part of Hotan County, Hotan Prefecture, Xinjiang [3] and partly in Rutog County, Ngari Prefecture, Tibet and constituting the easternmost portion of the larger Kashmir region that has been the subject of a dispute between India and China since 1959. [1] It is claimed by India as part of its Leh District, Ladakh Union Territory.How free is Azad Kashsmir". The Indian Express. March 26, 2016. Archived from the original on March 27, 2016 . Retrieved March 26, 2016. Puri, Balraj (November 2010), "The Question of Accession", Epilogue, 4 (11): 5, archived from the original on January 17, 2023 , retrieved May 8, 2020

At the time of the Partition of India in 1947, the British abandoned their suzerainty over the princely states, which were left with the options of joining India or Pakistan or remaining independent. Hari Singh, the maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, wanted his state to remain independent. [23] [24] Muslims in the western districts of the Jammu province (current day Azad Kashmir) and in the Frontier Districts province (current day Gilgit-Baltistan) had wanted to join Pakistan. [25] Rediff on the NeT: PoK not part of its territory: Pakistan". www.rediff.com. Archived from the original on July 19, 2019 . Retrieved May 3, 2022. Snedden 2013, p. 43: "Sudhans from Poonch considered themselves to be Sudho Zai Pathans (Pukhtoons), which explained why the Pashtun tribesmen from NWFP province lost no time coming to help Jammu and Kashmir's Muslims in 1947..". Mirza, M. Abdul Haq (1991). The withering chinar. Institute of Policy Studies. p.176. ISBN 9789694480084. Saraf, Muhammad Yusuf (2015) [first published 1977 by Ferozsons], Kashmiris Fight for Freedom, Volume 1, Mirpur: National Institute Kashmir StudiesLiteracy Rate in Azad Kashmir nearly 62 pc". Pakistan Times. MUZAFFARABAD (Azad Kashmir). September 27, 2004. Archived from the original on February 27, 2005. Schoefield, Victoria (2003) [First published in 2000]. Kashmir in Conflict. London and New York: I. B. Taurus & Co. ISBN 1860648983.