Azad Kashmir

The region known as Azad Jammu and Kashmir, also known as Azad Kashmir or simply Azad Jammu, is administered by Pakistan as a supposedly self-governing entity. It is the western part of the larger Kashmir region, which has been the source of an ongoing dispute between India and Pakistan since 1947. Additionally, to the south and west, respectively, Azad Kashmir is bordered by the Pakistani provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The Line of authority (LoC) divides Azad Kashmir from the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir (a portion of Indian-administered Kashmir) on its eastern side. The LoC acts as the de facto border between the portions of Kashmir under Indian and Pakistani authority. In terms of geography, according to the national census conducted in 2023, it has a total population of 4,361,000 (4.361 million) people living in an area totaling 13,297 km2 (5,134 sq mi).