Neelum Campus
NEELUM VALLEY: A Brief Overview
About 240 kilometers long picturesque Neelum Valley is situated to the North and North East of Muzaffarabad. Running parallel to the Kaghan Valley, it is separated from it by snow covered peaks, over 4000 meters above sea level. The district Neelum happens to be the largest district of AJK with an area of 3621 sq. kms; spread from Noseri to the Gurez valley in Taobut. Excellent scenic beauty, panoramic view, towering hills on both sides of the noisy Neelum river, flourishing green forests, streams, high altitude lakes and attractive surroundings make the valley an ideal tourist resort. The area is also suitable for mountain tourism.
A part of Nanga Parbat Massif falls in this area which is dominated by the “Sarvali Peak” (6326 meters) the highest mountain in Azad Kashmir. Moreover like the Kaghan Valley in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Neelum is famous for fishing and angling activities in the river Neelum and the Jaghran Nullah which are stocked with trout fish. A fair weather road opens the valley for tourists up to Kel (155 Kilometers from Muzaffarabad). Buses ply daily on this route and accommodation facilities are also available at places of tourist attraction.
Athmuqam
Athmuqam is situated at a height of 1371 meters above sea level and is the district headquarter of the Neelum district. It is an attractive place known for its variety of fruits. All necessary basic facilities viz. bazaars and markets, post offices, banks, hospitals, hotels and telephone exchanges are available in the town. Athmuqam leads further to greater sites of tourist attraction such as Keran/Neelum, Dowarian, Lawat, Sharda, Surgan, Kel, Shunter, Aran Kel, Helmet, Gurez and Taobut.
Keran & Neelum
Neelum is located at a distance of about 9 km from Athmuqam town on the right bank of the river Neelum at the altitude of 1524 meters above sea level. With its fascinating sceneries the panoramic lush green valley abounds in fruit and wildlife. The picturesque village facing the Line of Control (LoC) offers a captivating view to the beholder.
Dawarian
Dawarian is about 22 kms from Athmuqam. This lush hilly village also leads to a well-known lake at the boundary of Dawarian and Kaghan Valley. This village has high literacy rate of around 80%. The panoramic lush green valley is rich in fruit and wildlife.
Sharda
Sharda is a splendid green valley spread around the river Neelum at an elevation of 1981meters above sea level. Shardi and Nardi are two mountain peaks overlooking the valley, reputedly named after a legendary princess Sharda. It has a captivating landscape with numerous springs and hillsides covered with trees. Sharda is also famous for centuries old (5000 B.C) ruins of Buddhist University offering great prospects to historians and archaeologists.
Kel
Kel is a small town at a height of 2097meters. This is another picturesque place in the Neelum Valley. It further leads to other marvelous sites such as, Aran Kel, Shounter Pass, Helmet, Gurez Valley and Taobut. It also borders the region of Gilgit-Baltistan (G&B).
The Neelum Campus at Athmuqam
The Neelum campus was established in July 2013. The establishment of the Campus is directed at providing higher education to the people of the Neelum Valley, so as to bring them into the main stream through education, to inculcate in them the spirit of global citizenship and to prepare them to harmonize under global socio-cultural diversity. The Campus provides ample opportunities of higher education to the students of Neelum Valley in particular. It aims at equipping the students with teachings and research in the fields of sciences, technologies and humanities.
The campus envisions to make the Neelum Valley an educational hub besides its being a tourists destination of choice and to revive the old monumental tradition of old (5000 B.C) great Buddhist University at Sharda as it had been famous for centuries. The Campus has a well-furnished building with a computer laboratory, library, and a conference hall. The campus has the hostel facility for non-local students. A spacious play ground is available for sports besides an indoor hall for indoor games. It is hoped that the Neelum campus of UAJK will prove to be a great contributing factor in the socio-economic uplift of the area.
Following Programs are offered
Department of English
Department of Geology
Computer Science & Information Technology
Message from Director
My warmest welcome to you all to the Neelum Campus, University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Athmuqam – where “Innovation meets application”. You are all destined to do amazing things here. Our motto is “To learn and to apply, for the benefit of mankind”. We emphasize high value-added education with a balanced approach, leading to the development of professionally competent all-round students. The campus was established in July 2013 and is directed at providing higher education to the people of the Neelum Valley, bringing them into main stream education so as to inculcate in them the spirit of global citizen and prepare them to accept others points of view, convince others to accommodate their views.
At present, the Neelum campus offers undergraduate programmes in Computer Sciences & Information Technology, Geology and English. In future, we hope that more courses will be started in the campus according to the requirement of the area.
Being Director, I extend my all possible felicitations to the new comers undergraduate students. Together, our topmost priority is to provide you with the necessary resources and support services to complement and supplement what you will learn in the classroom. We aim to help you realize your strength, fulfill your aspiration, and achieve your full potentials by providing academic support and non-academic development opportunities outside your academic curriculum.
Education is a lifelong process. A good education is more than just academic successes. We urge you to find out more about our services, participate in the programs we offer and experience, firsthand for yourselves, an “education outside the classroom”! Again, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you all to Neelum Campus. I wish you every success in your years here at the university!
Sincerely,
Director Neelum Campus
Dr. Malik Sajjad Ahmed Nadeem
Phone: +92 5821 960005
Fax: +92 5821 960006
Email: dir.neelum@ajku.edu.pk
