Rawalakot

{{Main|1947 Poonch rebellion}}

On 15 June 1947, Sardar Ibrahim Khan addressed a meeting in Rawalakot attended by 20,000 people, and gave a speech telling his audience that Pakistan, a Muslim state, was coming into being and the people of Jammu and Kashmir could not remain unaffected. After that day, he says, "a strange atmosphere took the place of the usually peaceful life in these parts".{{harvtxt|Suharwardy|1983|p=102}}; {{harvtxt|Ibrahim Khan|1990|pp=57–58}} On 22 June, Chaudhary Hamidullah, the acting president of the Muslim Conference, visited Rawalakot and initiated secret plans to organise the ex-servicemen of the district for an eventual confrontation with the Dogra State Forces.{{sfnp|Saraf|2015|p=83}} On or around 6 October, the armed rebellion started in the Poonch district.{{citation |last=ul-Hassan |first=Syed Minhaj |title=Qaiyum Khan and the War of Kashmir, 1947–48 AD. |journal=FWU Journal of Social Sciences |volume=9 |number=1 |year=2015 |pages=1–7 |url=http://www.sbbwu.edu.pk/journal/Journal%20June%202015/1.%20Qaiyum%20Khan%20and%20the%20War%20of%20Kashmir,%20proof%20reading%20and%20APA.pdf |ref={{sfnref|ul Hassan, Qaiyum Khan and the War of Kashmir|2015}}}}{{citation |first=Sumit |last=Ganguly |title=Wars without End: The Indo-Pakistani Conflict |journal=The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science |volume=541 |date=September 1995 |pages=167–178 |publisher=Sage Publications |doi=10.1177/0002716295541001012 |jstor=1048283 |s2cid=144787951 |ref={{sfnref|Ganguly, Wars without End|1995}}}} The fighting elements consisted of "bands of deserters from the State Army, serving soldiers of the Pakistan Army on leave, ex-servicemen, and other volunteers who had risen spontaneously."{{sfnp|Zaheer|1998|p=113}} The rebels quickly gained control of almost the entire Poonch district, including Rawalakot.

{{Main|1955 Poonch uprising}}

Along with Pallandri, Rawalakot was the focal point of the 1955 Poonch uprising. It was led by the local Sudhans who disapproved of Sher Ahmed Khan and wanted Sardar Ibrahim Khan, as well as democratic reforms.{{Cite book|title=Kashmir: The Unwritten History|last=Snedden|first=Christopher|publisher=Harper Collins Publishers|year=2013|isbn=978-9350298978|location=India}}

{{Main| 2005 Kashmir earthquake}}

On Saturday, 8 October 2005{{cite web|url=http://www.drgeorgepc.com/Earthquake2005Pakistan.html |title=Earth Quake 2005 |publisher=Drgeorgepc.com |access-date=1 October 2012}} a 7.6 magnitude earthquake killed 73,338 people and left up to three million homeless in Pakistan, including Azad Kashmir. The city of Rawalakot, the capital of the Poonch district, suffered significant damage from the 2005 earthquake; although most of the buildings were left standing, many of them were rendered uninhabitable, and some of the population was left homeless. Most of the buildings have been reconstructed.

File:US Navy 051012-N-8796S-260 Members of the Pakistan military and civilians from multinational relief agencies carry an injured woman to a U.S. Army UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter for a medical evacuation in the remote Pakistani vill.jpg

File:2005 Earthquake damage, Rawalakot.jpg

File: US Navy 051012-N-8796S-241 A U.S. Army aircrew member sits in the ramp of a CH-47 Chinook helicopter as a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter takes off below after dropping off emergency aid to the remote Pakistani village of Rawalakot.jpg after the earthquake|alt=|none]]

• Khai Gala, Rawalakot
• Banjosa Lake, Rawalakot
• Jandali, Rawalakot
• Dhamni, Rawalakot
• Hurnamaira, Rawalakot
• Ali Sojal, Rawalakot
• Barmang, Rawalakot
• Chak, Rawalakot
• Shaheed Gala, Rawalakot
• Pachiot, Rawalakot
• Shaheed Gala, Rawalakot

Rawalakot is located at Latitude 33°51'32.18"N, Longitude 73° 45'34.93"E and an elevation of 5374 feet. Rawalakot is approximately {{convert|76|km|0}} from Kahuta and about {{convert|120|km|0|abbr=on}} from the city of Rawalpindi, Pakistan. It is linked with Rawalpindi and Islamabad via Goyain Nala and Tain roads. Via Kotli Satiyan and Kahuta. It is also linked with Rawalpindi via Sudhnuti.{{Cite web |date=2023-06-25 |title=LOC Updates: 2 Civilians Killed, 1 Injured in Indian Army Firing in Poonch |url=https://azaditimes.com/news/rawalakot/loc-updates-2-civilians-killed-1-injured-in-indian-army-firing-in-poonch/ |access-date=2023-06-25 |language=en-US}}

Construction of the Ghazi-e-Millat road (also known as Guoien Nala road) between Rawalakot and Azad Pattan has considerably reduced travel time, it is main road which is connecting Islamabad/Rawalpindi to Rawalakot city.

The road passing through Pakgali-Paniola connects Rawalakot to Bagh, Rawalpindi and Muzaffarabad. The alternative road that passes through Mohri Farman Shah, Shuja Abad is the shortest possible road link that connects Rawalakot city with Bagh. Murree, Islamabad and Rawalpindi are situated in a southward direction from Rawalakot. The town has another road link with Kotli.{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Rawalakot: Blocking of roads due to sit-in, 13 more persons arrested |url=https://www.azaditimes.com/2022/07/rawalakot-blocking-of-roads-due-to-sit.html |access-date=2022-08-08 |website=Azadi Times |language=en}}

Rawalakot Airport is non-operational and it has been closed since October 2005.{{cite news | url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1179686/caa-calls-for-making-muzaffarabad-rawalakot-airports-operational | title=CAA calls for making Muzaffarabad, Rawalakot airports operational | work=Dawn | date=3 May 2015| author=Ahmed, Amin}}

Rawalakot features a subtropical highland climate under the Köppen climate classification due to high altitude. The weather of Rawalakot is quite erratic. However, the climate of Rawalakot can be divided into four seasons, namely spring, summer, autumn and winter. Rawalakot has mild to warm temperatures during the spring and autumn, humid temperatures during the summer and cold to snowy during the winter. The temperature can rise as high as {{Convert|38|C|F|0|lk=on}} during the mid-summer months and drop below {{Convert|-1|C|F|0|lk=on}} during the winter months. Snowfall occurs in December and January, while most rainfall occurs during the monsoon season stretching from July to September.[http://www.met.gov.pk Pakistan Meteorological Department Kaleem Abbasi, 15 Aug, 2014] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120120060248/http://www.met.gov.pk/ |date=20 January 2012 }}

{{Weather box

|location = Rawalakot, Azad Kashmir

|single line = Y

|metric first = Y

|Jan record high C=25.6

|Feb record high C=32.9

|Mar record high C=34.4

|Apr record high C=41.0

|May record high C=45.0

|Jun record high C=46.6

|Jul record high C=43.2

|Aug record high C=40.0

|Sep record high C=39.4

|Oct record high C=39.9

|Nov record high C=33.3

|Dec record high C=28.9

|Jan high C = 17.3

|Feb high C = 19.8

|Mar high C = 24.7

|Apr high C = 30.6

|May high C = 36.3

|Jun high C = 38.1

|Jul high C = 34.8

|Aug high C = 33.5

|Sep high C = 33.2

|Oct high C = 30.4

|Nov high C = 25.2

|Dec high C = 19.7

|Jan low C = 3.8

|Feb low C = 6.7

|Mar low C = 11.1

|Apr low C = 15.9

|May low C = 21.0

|Jun low C = 23.8

|Jul low C = 24.3

|Aug low C = 23.6

|Sep low C = 21.1

|Oct low C = 14.8

|Nov low C = 8.8

|Dec low C = 5.0

|Jan record low C=-2.6

|Feb record low C=0.0

|Mar record low C=2.8

|Apr record low C=3.3

|May record low C=10.0

|Jun record low C=13.0

|Jul record low C=12.0

|Aug record low C=12.7

|Sep record low C=13.0

|Oct record low C=1.9

|Nov record low C=0.0

|Dec record low C=-3.3

|rain colour=green

|Jan rain mm = 24.9

|Feb rain mm = 30.8

|Mar rain mm = 31.2

|Apr rain mm = 20.1

|May rain mm = 14.4

|Jun rain mm = 44.1

|Jul rain mm = 112.8

|Aug rain mm = 136.3

|Sep rain mm = 43.8

|Oct rain mm = 15.7

|Nov rain mm = 14.5

|Dec rain mm = 19.1

|source 1 = {{cite web

|url=http://www.meoweather.com/history/Pakistan/na/33.8666667/73.7666667/Rawlakot.html |title=Rawalakot, Azad Kashmir |access-date=14 June 2013 |publisher=Climate Charts }}

}}

Rawalakot has an urban population of 56,006 people according to the 2017 census which rose to 56,590 in 2018. Majority of Rawalakot’s population is ethnically Sudhan.

{{reflist|group=note}}

{{reflist|refs=

{{cite web|url=https://www.pndajk.gov.pk/uploadfiles/downloads/AJ&K%20Statistical%20Year%20Book%202019.pdf |title=Statistical Year Book 2019 |website=Statistics Azad Jammu and Kashmir |df=dmy |access-date=12 September 2023}}

}}

{{refbegin}}

• {{citation |last1=Ibrahim Khan |first1=Muhammad |title=The Kashmir Saga |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PCtuAAAAMAAJ |year=1990 |publisher=Verinag }}
• {{citation |last=Saraf |first=Muhammad Yusuf |author-link=Muhammad Yusuf Saraf |title=Kashmiris Fight for Freedom, Volume 2 |year=2015 |orig-year=first published 1979 by Ferozsons |publisher=National Institute Kashmir Studies |location=Mirpur}}
• {{citation |last=Suharwardy |first=Abdul Haq |title=Tragedy in Kashmir |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wjRuAAAAMAAJ |year=1983 |publisher=Wajidalis}}
• {{citation |last=Zaheer |first=Hasan |title=The Times and Trial of the Rawalpindi Conspiracy, 1951: The First Coup Attempt in Pakistan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rjNuAAAAMAAJ |year=1998 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-577892-2 }}

{{refend}}

• {{Wikivoyage-inline|Azad Jammu and Kashmir}}
• [http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/46696/Azad-Kashmir# Britannica – Azad Kashmir]
• [http://www.euratlas.net/geography/world/special_status/azad_kashmir.html World atlas page about Azad Kashmir status]

{{Coord|33|51|12.26|N|73|45|05.31|E|display=title|region:PK_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki}}

{{Tehsils of Azad Kashmir}}

Category:2005 Kashmir earthquake

Category:Populated places in Poonch District, Pakistan

Category:Tehsils of Poonch District, Pakistan