Green Hills, Hard Choices: An NGO in Azad Kashmir You Can Contact From Any District

Azad Jammu and Kashmir runs in a long, narrow strip beside the Line of Control, from the forested Neelum valley in the north down to the warm plains of Bhimber in the south. It is a land of rivers, terraced fields and hillside villages, and of families spread across the world, with sons and daughters in Britain, the Gulf and big Pakistani cities. People who search for an NGO in Azad Kashmir may be facing a debt, a medical bill, a family court case or a child’s unpaid fees, and they want to know where to turn.

All ten districts can apply to Peace and Humanity Welfare Organization (PHWO). One point needs to be clear from the start, though: there is not a single PHWO office, centre, camp or employee in AJK. PHWO operates only from Larkana, Sindh. Kashmiri households use the online form, Message PHWO in a free PHWO account or a volunteer’s help to reach it, and nothing ever costs money. Volunteers look into each file. Where hardship is shown to be real and something can be done, support follows; nobody is told beforehand how it will end.

AJK's people and districts in 2023

The 2023 Census counted 4,333,467 people in Azad Kashmir, up from about 4.03 million in 2017, on an area of 13,297 square kilometres. Fewer than one in five lived in urban areas. The territory has ten districts in three divisions: Muzaffarabad, Neelum and Jhelum Valley; Bagh, Haveli, Poonch and Sudhnoti; and Kotli, Mirpur and Bhimber. These figures come from AJK at a Glance 2025, published by the AJ&K Planning and Development Department.

Interestingly, Mirpur was the only district whose population fell between the two censuses, a sign of continuing emigration. Pahari, Pothwari, Gojri, Kashmiri and Hindko are all spoken at home, and Urdu and English are used in schools and offices.

What makes life difficult in different parts of AJK

• North (Muzaffarabad, Neelum, Jhelum Valley): landslides, heavy snow, and a history of cross-border firing that has damaged homes and closed schools in villages near the LoC.
• Centre (Bagh, Poonch, Haveli, Sudhnoti): steep hills, small landholdings and few jobs, so many men serve in the army or work away.
• South (Kotli, Mirpur, Bhimber): heavy reliance on remittances from Britain and the Gulf, which leaves families without overseas relatives far behind in costs.

Earthquakes have shaped the region. The disaster of 8 October 2005 devastated Muzaffarabad, Bagh and much of the north (ReliefWeb: 2005 earthquake), and a quake centred near Mirpur caused deaths and damage in September 2019. Loans taken to rebuild are still a burden for some households.

Requests PHWO gets, and how AJK families fit

From every province, PHWO’s most frequent requests concern ration, paying back debts, and a laptop or phone that a young person needs for education or work. In Azad Kashmir, debts often follow weddings, house construction or a failed attempt to go abroad. Students at universities in Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Kotli, Rawalakot or Bagh, and graduates hoping to work online without leaving their villages, frequently lack a proper device. A family that sends one child to college in Rawalakot or Kotli may be paying hostel rent, transport and fees all at once, and a used laptop is often the item that simply cannot be afforded.

Families also write about treatment costs in Rawalpindi or Islamabad, school fees, rent and losses after landslides. PHWO’s wider areas of work are listed on Programmes.

Contacting an NGO in Azad Kashmir from your village

Open Request help on a phone or computer; if typing is difficult, ask a family member or volunteer to help, or message PHWO from your free PHWO account. Give an honest account of your household: who lives with you, what the family earns, whether anyone abroad supports you, and what you need. Add a live photo of yourself, along with any bills, fee slips, loan records or hospital papers you have.

A volunteer may call to clear up a few points. There is no deadline, so villages with poor signal can send requests later. PHWO asks for no payment of any kind, and if someone claiming to represent it asks you for money, do not pay.

Family law and AJK's courts

Azad Kashmir has its own judicial system. District courts, including family courts, sit in every district; appeals climb to the High Court in Muzaffarabad, and finally to AJK’s own Supreme Court. Through Free legal aid, PHWO puts people in touch with volunteer advocates who review their documents and explain the law. Most requests are about marriage and children: khula, haq mehr, maintenance and custody.

Because so many AJK marriages involve a spouse living overseas, cases can have a cross-border side, such as a husband abroad who has stopped paying maintenance. You may ask for advice without any FIR. Mention right at the start if the children’s care is disputed or the judge has fixed an early date; such files are opened first. Court representation by a volunteer depends on who can take it on and is not assured.

Public services worth knowing in AJK

• 15 for police in every district.
• BISP offices for Kafaalat and education stipends; eligibility can be checked by sending your CNIC to 8171, as explained on bisp.gov.pk.
• Major hospitals such as the Abbas Institute of Medical Sciences and CMH in Muzaffarabad, the Divisional Headquarters Hospital in Mirpur, and district headquarters hospitals elsewhere.
• The State Disaster Management Authority for landslide, flood and snow warnings.
• The AJ&K Government portal, which lists departments including social welfare and zakat.
• District bar associations, for finding a local advocate.

For detail on two major cities, see Muzaffarabad and Mirpur.

For the Kashmiri diaspora and local donors

AJK has one of the largest overseas communities of any region of Pakistan, especially in Britain. If you are part of it and want your zakat or charity to reach households that have been checked, including families with no relatives abroad, use Donate. Cash and goods are both welcome, whether sent from Kotli or from Bradford, and Zakat and Sadaqah reach eligible people in full. To support one family directly, choose Sponsor a case.

PHWO’s most urgent volunteer need is for lawyers practising in Pakistan, followed by fundraisers at home and overseas; it already has volunteers living abroad. Register at Volunteer and receive a certificate, a letter of appreciation and an experience letter. Parents arranging a marriage may also try the Rishta Desk: there is no charge, people of every faith are welcome, each profile is checked with a live selfie and reviewed by PHWO staff, and families make all decisions themselves.

Public services in Azad Jammu and Kashmir you can also use

• AJ&K High CourtAppeals
• District courts and family courtsKhula, dower, maintenance, custody
• PoliceDial 15
• BISP officesSMS CNIC to 8171
• AIMS and CMH Muzaffarabad; DHQ Hospital MirpurMajor hospitals
• SDMA AJKDisaster warnings
• Government of AJ&KDepartments and services

These are public or independent services, listed to help you. They are not part of PHWO.

Frequently asked questions