Fatehpur Thakiala, also known as Nakyal, is one of the three ''

tehsil A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...

s'' of the Kotli District in

Azad Kashmir Azad Jammu and Kashmir (; ), abbreviated as AJK and colloquially referred to as simply Azad Kashmir, is a region administered by Pakistan as a nominally self-governing entitySee: * * * and constituting the western portion of the larger Ka ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

History

Fatehpur Thakiala was part of the Mendhar subdivision of

Poonch Poonch, sometimes also spelt Punchh, may refer to: * Historical Poonch District, a district in the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir in British India, split in 1947 between: ** Poonch district, India ** Poonch Division, in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan, ...

before the partition of

Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

in 1947. Fatehpur Thakiala is bounded by the Line of Control—the boundary between Indian and

Pakistan administered Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompass ...

—on its north and east sides. The 1947–48 war between India and Pakistan divided it into two parts; one part went to Pakistan and the other became part of India. After the separation from Mendhar, it became a ''tehsil'' of the Kotli District. The original name of the area was Thakiala, named after the native Thakial Rajputs. It was renamed Fatehpur Thakiala to honour the late Sardar Fateh Muhammad Khan Karelvi. It is also the birthplace of the former president and prime minister of Azad Kashmir,

Sardar Sikandar Hayat Khan Sardar Sikandar Hayat Khan ( ur, سردار سِکندر حیات خان) (1 June 1932 – 9 October 2021) was elected as Prime Minister twice and president twice of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). He was the longest-serving Prime Minister of AJK ...

Location

The town of Nakyal is 1524 m above sea level, and is 40 km from

Kotli Kotli ( ur}) is a city in Kotli District of Azad Kashmir in Pakistan. It lies on the Poonch River, and the river contains several notable waterfalls including the Lala Waterfall near the town of Kotli and the Gulpur Waterfalls at the village of ...

city. Nakyal is in a valley nearly 3 kilometres from the Line of Control. Nearby Tatapani is one of the five crossing points at the Line of Control that were opened for the exchange of relief goods between Pakistani and Indian Administered parts of Kashmir after the devastating October 8 earthquake.

Demographics

The Gujjar are one of the major ethnic groups in Fatehpur. The Gujjar clans are the Kallas, Bagri, Bajar, Bhumbla, Bjarh, Chandpuri, Chauhan, Chechi, Hans, Khatana, Laley, Khepar, Meelu, and Sangoo. The Rajput are second most numerous of the major ethnic groups. The subclans of Rajputs are the Thakyals, Ghakhars, and Dhumals. The Kashmiri tribe's main clans in Nakyal include the Butt and Lone. They are the descendants of Kashmiri workmen who migrated to the plains of Punjab from the Kashmir Valley in the 16th and 17th centuries. The fourth major tribe is the Malik. {{Tehsils of Azad Kashmir Kotli District Tehsils of Kotli District