Bagh, Azad Kashmir: Free Help Online for Families in the Hills

Bagh is a hill town in the middle of Azad Kashmir, reached by winding roads from Kohala, Rawalakot or Muzaffarabad, with forested ridges such as Sudhan Gali and Ganga Choti above it. Its name means garden, and the valley is green for much of the year. The town was rebuilt after the 2005 earthquake flattened much of it, and many families are still living with what that disaster cost them. People searching for an NGO in Bagh can read below how to get in touch with Peace and Humanity Welfare Organization (PHWO).

PHWO keeps no office, team or relief camp in Bagh. Its single office is in Larkana, Sindh. People from Bagh, Dhirkot, Harighel, Rera and the surrounding villages apply online, through Message PHWO in a free PHWO account, or through a volunteer, and never pay. Every application is verified and assessed; help follows when a real need is established and PHWO can respond, with no outcome guaranteed.

Bagh District: key figures

AJK at a Glance 2025, a Muzaffarabad planning publication, puts Bagh District’s 2023 population at 436,795, with 357,772 in rural areas and 79,023 in urban. The district grew by 2.73 percent a year since 2017, among the fastest rates in AJK. Men and women are almost equal in number.

Only about 28 percent of Bagh’s urban population had piped water in 2024, according to the same report, while rural coverage was around 66 percent. The Women University Bagh, listed there with just over 2,000 students, has opened higher education to many local girls. Pahari is the main spoken language.

Life after the earthquake, and the struggles that remain

Bagh was among the worst-hit districts when the earthquake of 8 October 2005 shook AJK and northern Pakistan (ReliefWeb: South Asia earthquake, October 2005). Schools, homes and government buildings collapsed. Two decades later, some families still carry debts from rebuilding, and some who lost an earner never fully recovered.

Today’s pressures are ordinary but real. Farms on steep slopes are small. Many men work in the army, in Rawalpindi and Karachi, or abroad, and their families wait for remittances. Monsoon rain brings landslides that cut roads; the NDMA posts national alerts. Parts of Harighel and Dhirkot are far from the town hospital, so treatment adds transport costs.

Food, debts and study costs are the needs families raise most often across Pakistan. In Bagh, students at the women’s university and colleges often need fees, transport or a laptop to continue.

Sending your request to an NGO in Bagh

Go to Request help, or message PHWO from your free PHWO account. Write down who lives in the household, how the family earns, and the specific help you want. PHWO needs a live photo of the applicant. Attach anything that shows the problem: a fee challan, a prescription, an electricity bill or a record of money borrowed.

Volunteers may call to ask a few questions. No fee is ever charged, and nobody may collect money on PHWO’s behalf.

Families in far villages in the higher parts of Harighel and Dhirkot tehsils, where the signal comes and goes, can prepare everything at home and send it when they come down to Bagh bazaar, or ask a son or daughter in the city to send it. Keep your phone switched on afterwards, because the volunteer checking your file may want to speak to you directly before anything is decided. If you do not have a smartphone, asking a family member or volunteer to help you fill in the form is a fine way to start.

Free legal aid for Bagh residents

Cases from the district are heard in Bagh, and appeals reach the AJK High Court in Muzaffarabad. PHWO’s Free legal aid matches you with volunteer advocates from Pakistan who go over the documents and next steps. In Bagh, requests often involve land rebuilt or divided after the earthquake, inheritance, maintenance and family disputes.

No FIR is needed to ask for advice. If custody of a child or an urgent hearing is involved, mention it clearly; those are considered first. Representation in court depends on volunteer availability.

Public help in and around Bagh

• District Headquarters Hospital Bagh for government treatment.
• 15 for police.
• BISP: text your CNIC to 8171 to check Kafaalat and school stipends.
• Women University Bagh for questions on scholarships and fee concessions.
• District Zakat Committee Bagh for state zakat.
• District Bar Association Bagh for local advocates.

Rishta Desk and women-led households

Mothers who head the household while men work away can apply in their own name. For marriage proposals, the free Rishta Desk is open to every faith; each profile is checked with a live selfie and reviewed by PHWO staff, and decisions rest with the families. Nothing is promised. PHWO’s Programmes page describes its work in women empowerment, education and emergency relief.

Supporting Bagh as a donor or volunteer

Bagh’s people in other cities or overseas can send money or goods through Donate. Zakat and Sadaqah given this way go wholly to those who qualify. To help a single checked family, choose Sponsor a case. Volunteer lawyers inside Pakistan and fundraisers in any country are welcome at Volunteer and receive a certificate, a letter of appreciation and an experience letter.

Public services in Bagh you can also use

• District courts BaghCivil, criminal and family cases
• High Court of Azad Jammu and KashmirAppeals
• District Headquarters Hospital BaghGovernment hospital
• PoliceDial 15
• BISPSMS CNIC to 8171
• Women University BaghScholarships and fee concessions
• District Zakat Committee BaghGovernment zakat

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

Frequently asked questions