Samahni Tehsil

Samahni
سماہنی
Tehsil
Jandala, Samahni, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan in 2010
Jandala, Samahni (2010)
Samahni is located in Azad Kashmir
Samahni
Samahni
Location within Azad Kashmir
Samahni is located in Pakistan
Samahni
Samahni
Location within Pakistan
Coordinates: 33°05′26″N 74°08′07″E / 33.09056°N 74.13528°E / 33.09056; 74.13528
Administering countryPakistan
TerritoryAzad Kashmir
DistrictBhimber
Area
: 174 
 • Total
456 km2 (176 sq mi)
Population
 (2017): 174 
 • Total
121,946
 • Density267/km2 (693/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+5 (PKT)

Samahni (Urdu: سماہنی) is a tehsil of Bhimber District in Azad Kashmir, a part of Kashmir administered by Pakistan. It is situated in the district's south, along the Line of Control with India. As of the 2017 Pakistani census, the population of Samahni was 121,946.

History

Three former members of the Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly – Raja Razaq Ahmed, Raja Maqsood Ahmed Khan, and Raja Munirullah Khan – led a convoy of over a hundred vehicles through Samahni in a protest on 11 July 2012. Protesters demanded that authorities find and arrest the perpetrators of eight murders in the tehsil, which stemmed from a feud between two families.

Ten schoolgirls in Samahni were wounded by gunfire on 19 January 2018. Pakistani authorities blamed India, claiming its soldiers had fired across the Line of Control.

On 21 December 2024, a wooden footbridge in Samahni collapsed, sending seven schoolgirls ten to fifteen feet to the water below. Six of the seven students were injured, although none seriously. Locals consequently petitioned authorities to rebuild the bridge, which had been built in the late 1980s and had been in poor condition prior to the incident.

A ₨1,000,000,000, 132/11 kV electric grid station was opened in Samahni on 11 May 2026, the first of its kind in the tehsil. Locals had long petitioned for a stronger voltage, as they previously only had access to less than 90 V.

Administration and geography

Samahni is located in the south of Bhimber District in Azad Kashmir, a part of Kashmir administered by Pakistan, along the Line of Control with India. It is situated some 17 kilometres north of the district capital Bhimber. Administratively it is a tehsil (subdistrict) whose local government has jurisdiction over 47 villages within its borders.: 93 

The tehsil is known for its forested hills and valleys, which are collectively known as the Samahni Valley.

Demographics

The 2017 Pakistani census recorded 121,946 people living in 18,137 households in Samahni.: 174 

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "2024 Statistical Year Book" (PDF). AJ&K Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 3 November 2026.
  2. ↑ "Killing of eight persons: Villagers hold massive protest, demand arrest of assailants". The Express Tribune. 27 July 2012. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
  3. ↑ "10 Kashmiri schoolgirls injured as India continues ceasefire violation along LoC". The Express Tribune. 19 January 2018. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
  4. 1 2 Naqash, Tariq (21 December 2024). "6 students injured as wooden bridge collapses in AJK's Samahni Town: police official". Dawn.
  5. 1 2 Naqash, Tariq (11 May 2026). "AJK premier opens work on new grid station near Line of Control". Dawn. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
  6. 1 2 "Samahni Valley: Best Time to Visit & How to Get There". Green Tourism Pakistan. Retrieved 4 November 2026.