Khari Sharif
Encyclopedia
Khari Sharif is an agricultural area in 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...

 of Azad Jammu & Kashmir. Broadly speaking, Alaqa-e-Khari (translation in English: Area of Khari) refers to the fertile plains of Khari which exist between the hills of mirpur and the river Jhelum.Khari has some 80 small and large villages and one of the villages itself is known as Khari Sharif. It is located at a distance of 8 km from the city of Mirpur, Azad Kashmir and is known for housing the Shrines of Sufi Saints known as Peer-e-Shah Ghazi (Qalandar Damriyan Wali Sarkar) and Mian Mohammad Baksh. The place acts as a great seat of learning for students of Islam. Dervishes (disciples) of the Saint can be seen today wandering not just in Pakistani 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...

 but throughout 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...

.

History

Historically, Khari was ruled by Sohlan
Sohlan
* Sohlan , tribe of Azad Kashmir and adjacent areas* Sohlan,, village of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan...

 Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...

 families. The two famous political name of prepartition history were Jagirdar Raja Alla Dad Khan of Lehri and Zaildar Raja Sajjawal Khan of Mehmunpur
Mehmunpur
Mehmunpur Rajgan is a village near Jatlan, Mirpur District, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan.The village is situated between Jhelum River and the Upper Jhelum Canal,15 km from Mirpur city.-Demography:...

. These two people were renowned for their strong family backgrounds and for their strong connections with Maharaja.

Also at Khari Sharif is the Shrine of the Mian Mohammad Bakhsh who wrote the famous tale Saiful Maluk. This tells of a Prince who fell in love with a fairy called Badi-U-Jamal who he saw in a dream. The story chronicles his travels in search of the fairy and the spiritual lessons he learns on the way. Saiful Maluk is read throughout Azad Jammu & Kashmir and 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...

, and even has its own council. This council is headed by Choudhry Karamat Khari, from the village of Pindi Subherwal
Pindi Subherwal
Pindi Subherwal is a densely populated village in the Khari Sharif area of Mirpur District.It is situated at a distance of 10 km from Mirpur city. It is an important market town in the area...

which is about a kilometer from the famous shrines.

Politics

Khari has the distinction of being the home of Mirpur's first prime minister Barrister Sultan Mehmud Choudhary.
Other prominent politicians of Khari are ex-member of District Consul (Late) Choudhary Feroz Khan from Village Banni, Bava Raja Sultan Akbar Ali Khan, ex-MLA Ch.Khadam Hussain(Late) of Chechian, ex-MLA and Choudhary Abdul Rashid of Pothi Prime Ministers Advisor, Deputy speaker of AJK assembly Choudhary Mohammad Azam of Pothi and the ex-MLA and minister AJK Govt.Choudhry Rukhsar of Chabrian Gujjran.Barrister Mahmood Khan from Village Banni

Education

Khari has a number of primary,secondary and intermediate level institutions for both boys and girls. There is a college of education for the training of teachers. Famous educationist of Azad kashmir Dr Mohammad Sharif Chattar belonged to one of its villages Pindi Subherwal.

Armed Forces

Khari has a long tradition of serving the Army. Lieutenant General Raja Saroop Khan of Chechian (ex Governor of Punjab) and Lieutenant General Sheikh Umar Farooq Subherwal of Jatlan also belong to Khari.
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