Sudhan Gali
Sudhan Gali (also known as Suddhen Gali) is a village located in Bagh District, Azad Kashmir. It lies on the main road that connects the district Bagh to Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Kashmir[1] and also connects the town of Chikkar with Bagh city. Sudhan gali is located at the height of 7000 feet. This beautiful, scenic place attracts hundreds of tourists from all over Azad Kashmir and Pakistan. There are two guest houses for tourists, which are constructed very beautifully and attract large number of people each summer however, these houses are occupied mostly by well known, well connected/influential people and are not available most of the times for common tourists due to lack of a transparent system that would accommodate ordinary tourists. Other well known places in Sudhan Gali include Rasheed Shaheed Cricket Ground located in Copra and Khala But. Sudhan Gali is famous for its hiking trails that lead to Ganga Choti(Peak), a mountain peak about 10200 feet high and one of the most famous tourist attractions in AJK, Pakistan.
Sudhan Gali is also home to some of the rarest forests in the region containing pine trees that are hundreds of years old. Due to lack of knowledge/interest, these forsest are now endangered to become extinct as locals continue deforestation by cutting down trees yet local/state governments seem to have no interest in saving them.
There is a cricket ground near the Ganga Peak known as Ser Ground, located between two mountains,it is not very large but looks very beautiful. Every year in June a cricket tournament is held there in which sixteen teams of District Bagh and Muzafarabad participate.Ganga Chotti was badly affected by the 2005 Pakistan earthquake, in December 2005 the United Nations Children's Fund arrived to deliver clothing before the snows of winter arrived.[2]
UNICEF focused their relief efforts on places at high altitudes like Sudhan Gali (which has an altitude of 2,134 metres).
According to UNICEF
“ People have lost warm clothing, housing, food and utensils, and that could have affected children – who are the most vulnerable. That’s why UNICEF decided to distribute [kits] at the high altitudes. Last year there was about 12 feet of snow in this area. ”
Before the earthquake it had been used as a base camp for hikers and trekkers for the Ganga Choti mountain which lies nearby.
People of Sudhan Gali are very educated like Col Aziz Engr Abul Qadeer Capt Rasheed and his Son Capt Haroon. Literacy rate is about 89% despite shortage of basic needs.
[edit] References
The name Sudhan Gali has derived from a Pashto tribe saduzai who came here for Jihad at Dogra raj and settled here after that. There is only one central Jamia mosque in Sudhan Gali where people from surrounding come to offer prayers. Unfortunately no hospital and higher school is available for both boys and girls. They either have go to Birpani or Bagh for higher education.
Corrections[citation needed]:
The origin of the word "Sudhan" as described in the paragraph above is not entirely true as there is not much evidence anywhere that it comes from Pashtu language and as for Sudhan tribe's origins, there are many books with links to different areas but it is mostly believed that they settled there while Kashmir was under the rule of Afghanistan (conquered by the famous ruler Ahmed Shah Abdali in 18th century) and remained as for about 164 years.
