Jats of Azad Kashmir
Encyclopedia
The Jat are one largest tribes in the Pakistan-administered Kashmir
, making up the majority of the population of Mirpur District
, and forming a large part of the populations of Kotli
and Bhimber
districts. According to the 1901 Census of India, the total Jat population of the princely state of Jammu & Kashmir was 148,000, of which 123,000 (83%) were Muslim
. Most of them resided is areas that now form Pakistan-administered Kashmir
, although there were few villages in the Jammu
and Kathua
regions, most of whom immigrated to Pakistan
. Little is known about the when the Jat settled in the foothill of the Pir Panjal, but reference was made by the Mughal
Emperor Babar
of the their presence in his memoirs Babarnama.
, Dadyal
, the city of Mirpur and the countryside surrounding these areas, which all form part of the Mirpur district which is overwhelmingly Jat. The main Jat villages in or around the city of Mirpur are Ban Khurma, Chitterpury, Balah-Gala, Kalyal, Khambal, Purkhan, Sangot and Thathaal as well as many villages around the Chechian
area.
The Mirpuri Jat make up a substantial portion of the British Pakistani community, as many of the Jat villages were flooded by the construction of the Mangla Dam
.
, Dadyal
and Chakswari
Jats speak in a broad Pahari
dialect, whilst those of Mirpur City and its immediate surrounds speak in a dialect which resembles the Pothwari
spoken in the Jhelum
area, while the Bhimber
Jats speak in the Pahari dialect influenced by the Punjabi spoken in Gujrat District
. They are entirely Sunni Muslim
, but are divided by the Barelvi
Deobandi
split.
Pakistan-administered Kashmir
Azad Kashmir borders the Pakistani provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the west, the Wakhan Corridor of Afghanistan to the north west, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of People's Republic of China to the north and the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir, to the east.A...
, making up the majority of the population of Mirpur District
Mirpur District
Mirpur District is a district in the disputed and divided state of [Jammu and Kashmir]. The district is named after the main city, Mirpur. The District of Mirpur has a population of 371,000 and covers an area of . The district is mainly mountainous with some plains...
, and forming a large part of the populations of Kotli
Kotli
Kotli is the chief town of Kotli District, in the Pakistani-administered Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Kotli is linked with Mirpur by two metalled roads, one via Rajdhani, and the other via Charhoi...
and Bhimber
Bhimber
Bhimber is the chief town of Bhimber District, Azad Kashmir. The town is situated on the border between Azad Kashmir and Pakistan at a distance of about 50 km from Mirpur, about 48 km from Gujrat and about 166 km from Islamabad.-History:...
districts. According to the 1901 Census of India, the total Jat population of the princely state of Jammu & Kashmir was 148,000, of which 123,000 (83%) were Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
. Most of them resided is areas that now form Pakistan-administered Kashmir
Pakistan-administered Kashmir
Azad Kashmir borders the Pakistani provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the west, the Wakhan Corridor of Afghanistan to the north west, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of People's Republic of China to the north and the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir, to the east.A...
, although there were few villages in the Jammu
Jammu
Jammu , also known as Duggar, is one of the three administrative divisions within Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost state in India.Jammu city is the largest city in Jammu and the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir...
and Kathua
Kathua
Kathua is the largest city of the Kathua district in Jammu and Kashmir. It is the third largest city in the Jammu region and the sixth largest in the state. The word "Kathua" is derived from the word "Thuan" in Dogri which means "Scorpios". The city was the land of Scorpios before the settling of...
regions, most of whom immigrated to Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. Little is known about the when the Jat settled in the foothill of the Pir Panjal, but reference was made by the Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
Emperor Babar
Babur
Babur was a Muslim conqueror from Central Asia who, following a series of setbacks, finally succeeded in laying the basis for the Mughal dynasty of South Asia. He was a direct descendant of Timur through his father, and a descendant also of Genghis Khan through his mother...
of the their presence in his memoirs Babarnama.
Distribution
Jats predominantly reside in the traditional Jat heartlands of ChakswariChakswari
Chakswari is a Tehsil in the Mirpur District of Azad Kashmir in Pakistan. It is composed of approximately 25 Union councils including the New Town of Islamgarh...
, Dadyal
Dadyal
Dadyal or Dadyaal is a town situated in the Mirpur district of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. The town consists of more than 70 smaller villages. Like much of the Mirpur District, Dadyal has descendants of inhabitants that emigrated to the United Kingdom between the 1950s and 1980s...
, the city of Mirpur and the countryside surrounding these areas, which all form part of the Mirpur district which is overwhelmingly Jat. The main Jat villages in or around the city of Mirpur are Ban Khurma, Chitterpury, Balah-Gala, Kalyal, Khambal, Purkhan, Sangot and Thathaal as well as many villages around the Chechian
Chechian (Mirpur)
Chechian is a village the Mirpur Tehsil of Mirpur District of Azad Kashmir and its geographical coordinates are 33° 5' 0" North, 73° 45' 10.-History:...
area.
The Mirpuri Jat make up a substantial portion of the British Pakistani community, as many of the Jat villages were flooded by the construction of the Mangla Dam
Mangla Dam
The Mangla Dam is located on the Jhelum River in the Mirpur District of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. It is the sixteenth largest dam in the world. It was built from 1961 to 1967 with funding from the World Bank. The project was designed and supervised by Binnie & Partners of London, and it was built...
.
Language
The KotliKotli
Kotli is the chief town of Kotli District, in the Pakistani-administered Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Kotli is linked with Mirpur by two metalled roads, one via Rajdhani, and the other via Charhoi...
, Dadyal
Dadyal
Dadyal or Dadyaal is a town situated in the Mirpur district of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. The town consists of more than 70 smaller villages. Like much of the Mirpur District, Dadyal has descendants of inhabitants that emigrated to the United Kingdom between the 1950s and 1980s...
and Chakswari
Chakswari
Chakswari is a Tehsil in the Mirpur District of Azad Kashmir in Pakistan. It is composed of approximately 25 Union councils including the New Town of Islamgarh...
Jats speak in a broad Pahari
Pahari languages
The Pahari languages are a geographic group of Indic languages spoken in the lower ranges of the Himalayas, from Nepal in the east to the Indian states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir in the west.-Classification:The Pahari languages fall into three groups:*Eastern, consisting...
dialect, whilst those of Mirpur City and its immediate surrounds speak in a dialect which resembles the Pothwari
Pothohari language
Potwari , also known as Potohari ), is a rich north Indian sub-continent dialect spoken in the Pothohar Plateau around Rawalpindi, Kahuta, Gujar Khan, Jehlum, up to Gujrat in the south and Chakwal in the West, Hazara in the north, Azad Kashmir in the east and also by Sikhs from the Pothohar...
spoken in the Jhelum
Jhelum
Jhelum or Jehlum may refer to:* Jhelum, a city in Pakistan on the banks of the Jhelum River* Jhelum District, an administrative division in Punjab, Pakistan surrounding the city of Jhelum...
area, while the Bhimber
Bhimber District
Bhimber is the southernmost of the eight districts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir it borders Indian-administered Kashmir to the east. The district is located between Latitude: 32-48 to 33-34 and Longitude: 73.55 to 74-45, and has an area of 1516 km². The chief town is Bhimber.-History:The area is...
Jats speak in the Pahari dialect influenced by the Punjabi spoken in Gujrat District
Gujrat District
Gujrat is a district of Punjab Province in Pakistan. It is an ancient district located in between two famous rivers, the Jhelum and Chenab. Because of its proximity with the rivers the land is good for cultivation with rice and sugar cane as main crops...
. They are entirely Sunni Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
, but are divided by the Barelvi
Barelvi
Barelvi is a term used for the movement of Sufi , Sunni Islam originating in the Indian subcontinent.The Movement is known as Ahle Sunnat movement to its followers....
Deobandi
Deobandi
Deobandi is a movement of Sunni Islam. The movement began at Darul Uloom Deoband in Deoband, India, where its foundation was laid on 30 May 1866.-History:...
split.
Main clans
The main Jat clans in the State are the:- BangialBangialThe Bangial, or sometime spelt Bangyal are a tribe of Rajputs found principally in the Potohar region of Punjab, Pakistan. They also to be a found in the Jhelum, Gujrat and Gujranwala districts of the Punjab.-History and origins:...
- BadhanBadhan (tribe)The Badhan are a Jat gotra found in India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.-History and origin:The Badhan clan descends from the Saroa Rajputs. It is also claimed that they were the native people of Punjab region before the arrival of Aryans. After the arrival of Aryans they resisted the infiltration and...
- ChandralChandral (clan)Chandral are a Jat clan found in Mirpur District of Azad Kashmir. They are found mainly in the village of Chandral, which is situated several kilometres north east of the city of Mirpur. There customs are similar to other Jat clans of the region....
- DhamialDhamial JatsThe Dhamial or sometimes pronounced Dhamyal, are a Rajput tribe found in Punjab, Pakistan and Azad Kashmir. According to the 1931 census they numbered 9,500 of which Jats numbered 1,500 and Rajas, 8,000.- History :...
- Kalyal
- Kanyal
- Mathyal
- NagyalNagyalNagyal, sometimes pronounced as Nangyal and also written as Nagial are a Rajput-Jat tribe found mainly in Rawalpindi District, Gujar Khan, Daultala, Jhelum and Gujrat Districts of Punjab, Mirpur District of Azad Jammu and Kashmir...
- NathyalNathyalThe Nathyal are a tribe of Rajputs and Jats found principally in the Potohar region of Punjab, Pakistan, Azad Kashmir, and Jammu.-History and origins:...
- Rachyal
- Ranyal
- Thathal
- PunyalPunyal (clan)The Punyal are a Jat clan found mainly in the Dadyal tehsil of Mirpur District in Azad Kashmir. They are also found in the Gujar Khan Tehsil of Rawalpindi District in Punjab....
- RupyalRupyalThe Rupyal are a tribe found mainly in the Mirpur District of Azad Kashmir, and the Pothohar region of the Punjab, Pakistan. In this part of Pakistan, it is quite common for some sections of a tribe to claim to be Rajputs, while others claim to be Jats....
- Aasar
- Hayal
- Kanjal
- Karyal
- Manjaal
- Pakhreel