History
The
area that is now Mirpur has always been a crossroad for major invasions of the
subcontinent and has formed part of various empires over time including Achaemenid empire of Persia, an outlying region of the
conquests of Alexander
the Great, the Kingdom of Gandhara, the Mauryan empire, the Kushan empire, the Sultanate of Ghazni, the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal empireamongst
others.
The
city of Mirpur itself was founded in around 1642 AD or 1052 AH by the Ghakhar
chief Miran Shah Ghazi. The Imperial Gazetteer of India Provincial Series
Kashmir and Jammu (1909) provides this information about Mirpur history as
"it is said to have been founded by Miran Shah Ghazi and Sultan Fateh
Khan".
The
area that is now Mirpur has been historically associated with Pothohar. Though
modern demarcation of Potohar devised by British excludes
Mirpur by using Jhelum river as the eastern
boundary. By the end of 18th century, Gakhar power in Pothohar had declined. Mirpur had
become part of Chibb ruled state of Khari
Khariyali with capital at Mangla Fort. With the rise of Sikh power in Punjab, Maharaja Ranjit Singh established his supremacy
and set his eyes on the Chibh states of Bhimber and Khari Khariyali. In 1810, a
force was sent against Raja Sultan Khan of Bhimber and was met with fierce
resistance. However, in 1812 another Sikh army under prince Kharak Singh defeated Sultan Khan and the Bhimber state was annexed as Jagir
of Kharak Singh. Around the same time, Ranjit Singh acquired Gujrat and invaded
Khari Khariyali ruled by Raja Umar Khan. Raja Umar Khan made peace with Ranjit
Singh. But before a settlement could be made, he died and the state and Mirpur
became part of Ranjit Singh's territories.
In
1816, Ranjit Singh annexed Jammu state and in 1820 awarded Jammu to his
commander Gulab
Singh who hailed from Jammu and was under the
service of Ranjit Singh for the past eight years. Between 1831–39 Ranjit Singh
bestowed on Gulab Singh the royalty of the salt mines in northern Punjab, and
the northern Punjab towns including Bhera, Jhelum, Rohtas, Mirpur and Gujrat. Gulab Singh kept on expanding his kingdom and in 1840
Baltistan was made subject to Jammu and Gilgit fell to a Sikh force from
Kashmir in 1842. The state of Kashmir was annexed by Ranjit Singh in 1819.
However the rebellion in Hazara in the beginning of 1846,
compelled the country to be transferred to Raja Gulab Singh of Jammu as well.
As
an aftermath of the First Anglo-Sikh
War and the Treaty of Lahore, The Treaty of
Amritsar was signed between the British Government and
Raja Gulab Singh of Jammu on March 16, 1846. This treaty transferred him all
the hill states between Ravi and Indus. The transfer included Kashmir, Hazara
and the southern hill states (including former Khari Khariyali). Thus sealing
the fate of Mirpur with the new state of Jammu and Kashmir
Early
Mirpur
Since
Mirpur lies at the point where the Jhelum River breaks out of the heavily
forested foothills of the Pir Panjalmountains into the plains of the
largely treeless Punjab. It was an ideal spot for the construction of the boats
used to carry goods down the five rivers of the Punjab to the Indus River and onto the seaports in
the Indus delta. Traders have been operating from there across the Indian Ocean for over three thousand
years. Most of the crew on the boats trading up and down the Punjab and Indus
River system were drawn from Mirpur, as training as a boat-builder was a necessary
prerequisite for becoming a boatman.
British rule
With the
arrival of British rule however, the thriving river trade was
decimated due to the construction of railway lines from Bombay and Karachi into
the interior of the Punjab. Moving goods by rail was both cheaper and quicker,
and hundreds of Mirpuri boatmen found themselves out of a job.
At the same
time long-distance ocean trade was shifting from sail to steam. There was a
huge demand for men who were prepared to work in the hot, dirty and dangerous
stokeholds of the new coal-fired steamers. European seamen avoided such jobs
whenever they possibly could. They preferred to work on deck. But in the 1870s
Mirpuri ex-river boatmen were desperately searching for a new source of income.
Although unfamiliar with stoking coal-fired boilers, they were prepared to
learn and quickly gained a virtual monopoly of jobs as engine-room stokers on
new steamships sailing out of Karachi and Bombay, a position they retained
until coal-fired ships were finally phased out of service at the end of the
Second World War.
Indo-Pakistan
War of 1947-48
On 14 August
1947, Mirpur was part of the princely state of Kashmir under the rule of
Maharaja Hari Singh. A revolt against his rule erupted with the advent of
Pakistan. This gained momentum by the invasion of Pushtun tribesmen from FATA. Most of Kashmir's state forces had barricaded
themselves in Mirpur after having retreated from the surrounding posts in
particular from Mangla Fort. On the outskirts of the city, the local rebels,
being mainly retired army personnel from British and state's armies and
defectors from the state's army, attacked the Maharaja's forces on 4 November
1947. Between 6 and 11 November, heavy battles between the former and Indian
forces took place within the city. Mirpur city was captured by local rebels on
11 November and the rest of Mirpur district was captured by 25 November 1947.
Pakistan Army helped at a later stage to restore law and order.
Post war
After World
War II a new set of opportunities opened up. Britain's economy was just setting
off on what proved to be a long post-war boom, and there was an acute short of
labour in the foundries of the Midlands, and the textile
mills of Yorkshire and Lancashire. Now it was the
turn of ex-seamen to become industrial workers in Britain. So when the Mangla
Dam was about to be constructed in 1960, the affectees of the dam who were
going to be deprived of their agricultural land were afforded the opportunity
to migrate to the United Kingdom and to join those of their kinsfolk who long
before had established themselves in Britain.
As a result,
Mirpur is one of the principal sources of migration from the State of Azad
Kashmir to Europe, and especially to Britain, so much so
that out of a million migrants from the state of Azad Kashmir and Pakistan,
most of them i.e. 88% are Kashmiris. Although it is widely believed that the
principal reason for this outflow was the construction of the Mangla Dam, which in no
doubt is true, but the fact is that long before construction of dam, a sizeable
Kashmiri community existed in the UK.
Mirpur City
Mirpur
city is situated at 459 meters above sea-level and is linked with the main Peshawar-Lahore Grand
Trunk road atDina Tehsil.
It is the headquarters of Mirpur District, which comprises two sub-divisions,
Mirpur and Dadyal.[3] The building of the new city in late
Sixties paved the way for New Mirpur situated on the bank of Mangla lake.
In fact the
remains of the old city (old Mirpur) are underneath the waters of the Mangla
Lake, during colder months March, April the water level recedes to such an
extent that one can travel on motorcycle on old mirpur road which still exists.
Holy Shrines of Syed Abdul Karim and Meeran Shah Ghazi brcome visible and also the
remnants of a Sikhgurdwara as well as a Hindu mandir possibly dedicated to the "mangla
mata" (mangla mother goddess). Remains of old houses, water wells, Grave
yards also reappear in the months of March and April. People of Mirpur visit
the old Mirpur during these months to pay homage to their previous land they
lived on and pray on grave yards of their loved ones. Urs Mubarak of Meeran
Shah and Syed Abdul Kareem are also arranged in these months in old Mirpur.
The remains
of old Mirpur depict a silhouette of pre-partition city when many faiths
co-existed side by side. However after division of the State of Jammu Kashmir,
the non-Muslim community consisting of Hindus, Buddhists and Sikhs fled to
Jammu. The New Mirpur city has been well planned with construction of modern
designed buildings and ample roads serving each part of city. The affluence
brought on by immigration mainly to the UK is reflected by the structure and
grandiose of the residential houses. There are tell-tale signs of inward
investment by the expatriate community living in the United Kingdom, Europe,
North America and the Middle East. The city has a number
of good hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and other urban facilities.
Industry
The
Government of Azad Jammu & Kashmir has successfully endeavoured to develop
Mirpur as an industrial place and promote private investment for establishing, foam, polypropylene, synthetic yarn,
motorbikes and scooter, textile, vegetable Oil (Ghee), wood and sawmills, soap, cosmetics, marble, ready-made garments, matches and
rosin, turpentine industrial units in the area. However,
much of the infrastructure still needs improvement to obtain very high quality
products.
As part of
the relief/compensation package in the wake of Mangla Dam Raising Project, a
New City is being developed along the south eastern outskirts of Mirpur. Civil
works at huge scale are going on around the whole district, by the Pakistani
& Chinese contractors for raising the dam. Four towns in the district have
been planned besides the new city, to resettle the population affected by the
project.
Education
The literacy
rate in Mirpur is quite high. It is affected by the emigrating tendency in the
youngsters to UK. English language is common in educational institutes.
Previously the University of Azad Jammu & Kashmir was the only institution for higher
studies but in the last decade there are significant changes in the educational
infrastructure. The formation of Mirpur University of Science and Technology (MUST) and recently Mohi-ud-Din Islamic Medical College &Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Medical College are extraordinary achievements.
AJK Board of Intermediate and
Secondary Education, Mirpur is
responsible for the studies at lower levels. In addition to the state-run
schools and colleges, Mirpur has a well-developed private sector providing the
education to all sects of the society. Some of these include:
·
Paramount International College
Mirpur(Affiliated by Federal Board)(ACCA & CAT)(03035714300)
·
www.ithousemirpur.com (INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY HOUSE MIRPUR
Regd. Govt AJK-TEVTA)
·
Kashmir Model College Mirpur (KMC)
·
Crescent Model College Mirpur
·
Kalri Computers (KC)
·
Pak Kashmir Institute of Computer Sciences
·
Kashmir Institute for Advanced Studies (KIAS)
·
Mirpur Public School
·
Akson College of Health Sciences
·
Institute of English for International
Students IEIS
·
ITech Academy (ITA)
·
Kashmir Language Institute (KLI)
·
Abdul Razzaq Institute
·
Sanwala Institute of Computer Sciences
·
Roots School System
·
The Guidance House School System
·
The City School
·
MIRPUR College Of English Language UK (M
Cel)Since 2005
·
Superior Science College
·
Visa Expert (Education & Immigration
Consultants) Mirpur Azad Kashmir.
·
Comptech Istitute Of IT & Languages Daud
Plaza(Regd. wth AJK TEVTA)
·
Savant College of Science & Technology
Mirpur Azad Kashmir
Sport
In terms of sports, Mirpur is very popular in
Football, Cricket and Volleyball. Many of tournaments are also held throughout
the year ans in the holy month ofRamazan night floodlight tournaments are also
organized. Mirpur has a Cricket stadium "Quaid-e-Azam Stadium", which has been taken over by the Pakistan Cricket Board for
renovation for International standard. There are also many registered sports
clubs in mainly South Asia Cricket Club, Pilot Football Club,Youth Football Club and Kashmir National FC. Pilot FC is
the current champion of the District Football Association Cup (DFA Cup). Mirpur
also take part in the All AJK Football
Championship, last year Mirpur was the runner-up beaten by Rawalakot in
the final.
Transport
CNG auto
rickshaws are very popular mode of transport for short routes within the city.
The city's transport system links it to a number of destinations in Azad
Kashmir notably Bhimber, Jatlan, Chakswari, Dadyal, Kotli and Khoi Ratta and to major cities in Pakistan as
well included services to Gujrat, Jhelum,Kharian, Gujranwala, Lahore and Rawalpindi. There is no
railway station in Mirpur. The closest station is in Jhelum City, Punjab. The
promise of a rail extension to Mirpur has not yet been fulfilled. Islamabad Airport services the Mipur region and is
approximately 100 miles away.
Shopping
Known as the
shopping capital of Azad Kashmir, Mirpur has a large and diverse shopping area,
centred around Chowk Shaheed,Mian Mohammed Road and Allama Iqbal Road. There
are many stores, plazas, shopping malls and markets in these thoroughfares,
selling everything from hand made pottery to international brands, and there
are many bargains to hand as haggling is common in smaller stores. The
currently under construction Nosha Shopping Centre will be one of the largest
shopping centres of the city when completed. Azad Mega Mart is the well known
shopping plaza of the city and is a hotspot for people visiting Mirpur city.
Near the police lines, Puranni Hattian (Syed Naik Alam Shah Road) is famed for
its high and top class varieties of ready made, designer replicas and
unstitched clothing in small shopping stores such as Benzer Silk Mirpur. The
variety is vast and can meet the needs of any shopper in town whether its for
weddings, special occasions, or just normal casual wear.
Food
Mirpur is
well known for its food centres and restaurants. Samosa is
a speciality. There is a popular burger stand on Chowk Shaheed Road outside
Rupyal Hotel, as well as excellent samosas and chaat on Syed Naik Alam Shah
Road. In terms of restaurants, there is a huge variety of food areas from take
aways (Azad Mega Mart Burger Stand) and high class restaurants like Nafees on
Mian Mohammed Baksh Road.
Language
and demographics
Mirpuri,
Pahari, Punjabi, Potohari dialects of Punjabi Language and Kashmiri language are the predominant languages of the
City. Other languages spoken include Urdu and English.
According to
the 1998 census Mirpur had a population of approximately over 100,000. This
does not include those who emigrated to the United Kingdom, Middle East,
Western Europe and North America. Mirpur's original population is mostly ethnic
Potoharis. However since 1947, Kashmiri emigrated from the neighbouring Rajouri and Poonch districts
of the Indian administered Jammu and Kashmir and Pathans as well as Afghan refugees also have become a part of the local
population. A majority of Mirpuris living abroad reside in England.[4]
Culture
Mirpur (to the west and south) borders the Potohar plateau
of Pakistan and the ethnicity, language and culture of both Potohar and
the Mirpur district are virtually the same. People of Mirpur wear shalwar and
Kameez along with shoes. In winter mostly people take Shaal on body.
The Saif Ul
Malook Festival takes place annually in April, usually in the city centre. It
is an important event celebrating the anniversary of Baba Pir-e-Shah Ghazi
Qalandar (Damrian Wali Sarkar) who was the spiritual guide/teacher of Mian Muhammad Bakhsh, the Sufi saint
& Potwari poet famous for his poetic piece Saif ul Malook.
Rathoa Mehla
The Rathoa
Mehla takes place annually in Summer, in the Rathoa Town near the Dam front. It
is an important event celebrating culture value peace and tolerance. Other
notable events that take place in Rathoa vary from year to year and are mostly
religious events.
Pahari Mushahira
Pahari
Mushahira is a literary event in which poets from all over Azad Kashmir present
their poems to general audience. Pahari Mushahira are celebrated regularly in
Mirpur city as part of the campaign of Alami Pahari Adabi Sangat for the
preservation and rehabilitation of the Pahari language and the Culture of Jammu and Kashmir.
Ethnic
groups in Mirpur
The people of Mirpur are of three main ethnic
groups.
·
Arain – A well known ethnic group of
mirpur.They play an important role in mirpur's business, mostly engaged in
commercial businesses. Migrated to Mirpur from Punjab.
·
Gakhar – They are a Persian tribe which
reside mainly in Mirpur city, Dadyal and adjacent areas in sizeable numbers.
·
Gujjar – One of the three major ethnic groups
in Mirpur. Most reside in Mirpur, Islam Gar, Dadyal and New Mirpur.
·
Jarral – Jarrals are found in size able
numbers in New Mirpur.
·
Jatt – Represent biggest of the three
majority ethnic groups of Mirpur. Most reside in the Jatt heartlands of
Chaksawri, Dadyal, New city of Mirpur and the countryside surrounding Mirpur.
·
Ansari – Most Populated Ethnic group of Mirpur.
Lived especially in Central City, Dadyal and adjacent areas. Most families are
lived in United Kingdom after The Dam Raising.
·
Kakazai – A well educated ethnic group mostly
settled in Mirpur city, linked to business.
·
Kashmiri – Minority clans in Mirpur are Butt, Lone, and Dar. They are the
descendants of Kashmiri pundits, who belonged to the priestly caste of Brahmins
and migrated from Kashmir Valley, while Mirs and Khawajas are migrants from
Arab.
·
Mughals – Mughals are scattered all over the
Mirpur District. Notable for being highly active in the education sector.
·
Rajputs – Third of the three major ethnic
groups in number, they play an active role in politics and bureaucracy. Rajputs
are scattered all over the Mirpur District and comprise of many clans.
·
Sheikh – Most people who classify themselves
as Sheikhs in Mirpur are descendants of Brahmin, Khatri or Rajput Hindus
who converted to Islam. Most reside in Mirpur city.
·
Sayyids – Though a minority group they are a
very active people and occupy important positions in all sectors.
Development
In recent
times Mirpur city has seen many new developments. Some of the schemes approved
and under construction include:
·
New Mirpur City
·
Rathoa Haryam Main road and Bridge
·
Mirpur Apartments and Guest Houses
www.mirpurapartments.com +92-344-5591177
·
Export Promotion Zone
·
Jinnah Model Town
·
Mangla Dam upraising
·
Mirpur Dry Port
·
Mirpur Grand Rest House
·
Moori Industrial Zone
·
New Industrial Area
·
Quid-e-Azam Stadium
·
Sultan Town
·
Valley Homes Mirpur
Tourism
The government of Azad Kashmir is paying
special attention to tourism in AJK and Mirpur, building newtheme parks, rest houses,
hotels and renovating old forts to attract tourists to the region. Places of
interest in Mirpur are:
·
Basharat Shaheed Monument
·
Bhutto Park
·
Jari Kas Dam
·
Jatlan Head
·
Mangla Fort & Museum
·
Mangla Boating Club
·
Mirpur View Point Park
·
Ragu Nath Temple
·
Shivala Temple
·
Geography
and climate
Mirpur is bounded on the north and east by Kotli District, on the west
by Pothohar and
on the south by Bhimber.
Mirpur is
the breadbasket of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and
has a climate similar to that of the neighbouring Potohar and
Punjab region. The Town and district is primarily agriculturally based and is
presently a tourist hotspot and a home from home for many emigrants, which can
be seen by the vast amounts of villas and mansions built in the region.
Since it is
located at the extreme south of the state Jammu & Kashmir, the
climate is extremely hot and dry during summer – making it very similar to the
Pakistani areas of Jehlum and
Gujar Khan. Most of its bushy landscapes, stretching from Bhimber to Dadyal,
are barren – leaving only a small stretch of fertile land but highly productive
land in the surrounding of Mangla water. The only crop cultivated during the
spring/summer season is millet. However, there are a few farms that grow
vegetables and wheat, especially when the dam water subsides during the winter
season. The hydroelectric power from the dam makes this district somewhat
unique among others. However, the annoyance caused by unannounced hours-long
daily blackout makes many Kashmiris resentful over unfair energy supply.
Surroundings
·
Bhalot, is amongst Mirpur's most populous
villages.
·
Bhimber is 50 km from Mirpur, the area is
very rich in archaeological remains.
·
Chakswari Approximately
40 km from Mirpur city, it is fast becoming a commercial area of the
district
·
Dadyal is a Tehsil of
the Mirpur District, 65 km from Mirpur at north, the 2nd largest city
after Mirpur in AJK.
·
Islamgarh Islamgarh
is situated in North East of Mirpur city. Travel distance is 30 km.
·
Jandi Chontra a popular scenic spot 67 km from
Mirpur in Bhimber District, the
Shrine of the Sufi Saint Hazrat Sheikh Baba Shadi Shaheed is
also located here.
·
Jangian Kotla is located near river Jehlum and
situated approximately 20 km south of Mirpur.
·
Kakra Town is 12–15 km from Mirpur, the
area is beautiful and creates nice views to Mangladam.
·
Khari Sharif located 8 km from Mirpur, it is
famous for its Sufi shrines.
·
Kotli is 101 km. from Mirpur, the area
is hilly and beautiful views of valleys.
·
Khaliqabad is 6 km from Mirpur its an
intersection for the main road leaving mirpur city, this area is home to large
Bainse and Jat population
·
Mangla town is located 16 km from Mirpur,
it is situated at the mouth of the Mangla Dam for which it is famous.
·
Football Chowk, in sector D4, is situated on
the outskirts of Mirpur city. This area is home to a large number of wealthy
expatriates, local business men, government and ISI officials.
·
Mehmunpur Rajgan, Situated 15 km from
Mirpur city near Pul Manda.
·
Sahalia 70 km from Mirpur city.
Notable
people of Old Mirpur
·
Raja Sajjawal Khan – Zaildar and Assessor of Khari Sharif in pre-partition era
·
Krishan Dev Sethi – General secretary of Democratic
Conference Jammu and Kashmir]
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