Khari Sharif

Khari Sharif is a village in Mirpur District, Azad Jammu & Kashmir.Broadly speeking,Alaqa-e-Khari (translation in english:Area of Khrari) refer to the fertile plains of Khari which exists between the hills of mirpur and the river Jhelum.Khari has some 80 small and large villages and one of the village itself is known as Khari Sharif.It is located 8km from Mirpur city and is known for housing the Shrine of Sufi Saints known as Peer-e-Shah Ghazi (Qalandar Damriyan Wali Sarkar). The place acts as a great seat of learning for students of Islam. Darveishs (disciples) of the Saint can be seen today wandering not just in Pakistani Kashmir but throughout Pakistan.

Demography

According to the 1998 census of Pakistan, the population was 9,632. The Sohlan Rajputs are a major tribe.

History

Historically, Khari Sharif was ruled by Sohlan Rajput families. The two famous political name of prepartition history were Jagirdar Raja Alla Dad Khan of Lehri and Zaildar Raja Sajjawal Khan of Mehmunpur. 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, and even has its own council. This council is headed by the well known Choudhry Karamat Khari, from the village of Pindi Sabarwal, about a kilometer from the famous shrines.

Politics

Khari Sharif has the distinction of being the home of Mirpur's first prime minister Barrister Sultan Mehmud Choudhary.

Another politician to rise from Khari Sharif, more specifically the suburban village of Potha Bainsi, which is situated on the outskirts of the constituency is Choudhry Mohammad Azam who became an MLA for the Khari Sharif constituency in 1990. After becoming an MLA he was appointed Deputy Speaker of the Azad Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly. Choudhry Muhammad Azam made history in 1990 by becoming the first person from the Mirpur region to become Deputy Speaker of Azad Jammu & Kashmir.

In 1991 Choudhry Mohammad Azam was appointed as Chairman of the Mirpur Development Authority (MDA). He served as Chairman of the MDA for 5 years until 1996. During this time his most note able achievement was to construct the Quad-e-Azam Cricket Stadium situated in the heart of Mirpur city.

The newly elected MLA of Khari Sharif is Choudhry Rukhsar, who has been the MLA of the area since 2006, and is currently a Minster of the government of Azad Jammu & Kashmir. He lives in a small village called Chabriyan Gujjran near Afzalpur, Khari Sharif.

Education

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Khari Sharif 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.Khari Sharif has also the distiction that the famous educationist of Azad kashmir Prof Dr Mohammad Sharif Chattar belonged to one of its villages Pindi Subherwal.He was one of the earliest PhDs of Azad Kashmir.

Armed Forces

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Lt.General Raja Saroop Khan of Chechian the ex Governor of Punjab and General Sheikh Frooq Subherwal of Jatlan also belong to Khari Sharif.

Places to Visit

Another famous shrine is the one in the village of Samwal Sharif. Many people visit this shrine in the hope of finding spiritual guidance in troubled times.