Azad Radio: A History by Sarath Weerakoon

/Several months back, in a DX'ers Forum article on identifying transmitter sues, we looked at Azad Kash- mir Radio as a case study. Sarath Weerakoon, a well-known DX'er who resides in Sri Lanka, saw the original article and kindly took the time to write the following history of Radio for FRENDX Thanks Sarathl - Ed.] My friend Victor Goonetilleke and myself have been very curious about the exact locations of Azad 'Kashmir Radio transmitters. Both of us and a Pakistani DXer - Taher Aftab - have done extensive investigations into it. Trarkhel is the former provisional capitol of Azad (meaning "Free) Kashmir. Geographically, it is situated very close to , just across the border into Azad Kashmir. Azad Kashmir Radio (AKR) first came on the air in 1948, as a clandestine station operating from the back of an army truck, in those dreadful days. Of course, the situation is quite different now, as Pakis- tan considers Azad Kashmir an integral part of . Gradually, the mobile propaganda unit became a full-fledged station by using the facilities of Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC). At present, AKR - Trarkhel is using PBC's transmitter No. API -8 (10 KW) broadcasting on the frequencies of 4980, 7265, and 4790 kHz. So, there are no transmitters or studios at Trarkhel but AKR continues to give this fictitious location in their identification, for obvious reasons (just imagine, if the ID is Azad Kashmir Radio Islamabad!) Now to the transmitter locations. Islamabad was founded in 1961 and became the capitol in 1967. The Federal district of Islamabad includes the capitol Islamabad and the adjoining area that is to undergo urban development. This Federal district is a small area. Geographically this area falls within the Rawal- pindi district (which comes under the Punjab province). Although the district of Islamabad is geographi- cally within the Rawalpindi district, it is a separate administrative region directly under the Federal government, and not under the Punjab government. Perhaps a rough analogy would be Washington, DC (174 km2), situated between Maryland and Virginia. Rawalpindi was the Pakistani capitol from 1959 until 1967. It is situated about 11 km southwest of Is- lamabad. Except for the FM transmitters, all the other transmitters of Radio Pakistan - Islamabad are located on a site close to National Highway No. 1, which falls within Rawalpindi district but outside the Federal dis- trict of Islamabad. The FM transmitters are at Muree - also outside the Federal district but within the Rawalpindi district The transmitters used for the rxtemal servir4 are also located several km from Islamabad but well within greater Rawalpindi.

Therefore, if anybody is trying to log a transmitter site at Islamabad, please forget it. Islamabad simply has no transmitters. All except, two 10 kw transmitters at Rawalpindi are linked to studios of Islamabad and thus announced as 'Radio Pakistan - Islamabad.' I guess there is no controversy over the seldom heard AKR - Muzafarabad on 3660v kHz and 792 kHz. Muzafarabad is the capitol of Azad Kashmir with a population of nearly 65,000. My pen -friend in the Azad Kashmir capitol confirms the existence of a radio station. He can see the studios, antennas and tall masts on top of a hill. AKR Muzafarabad is heard quite regularly on MW freq of 792 kHz, but SW channel of 3660v kHz has been erratic. I last noted it in Sri Lanka around mid -March this year. If anyone wants to log Azad Kash- mir, then he should log either 3660 kHz or 792 kHz.

Azad Kashmir is part of the territory acquired by Pakistan in the 1948 war with India. Pakistan does not consider Azad Kashmir as a province of Pakistan because of the disputed nature of the state of and Kashmir. Pakistan claims that the status of Jammu and Kashmir should be determined by a United Nations sponsored plebiscite. India maintains that the state of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of the Indian Union and refuses to acknowledge the need for international mediation.

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