, a
sardar (tribal chief) of the Sudhan tribe during 1955 Poonch rebellion A major uprising occurred around the
Rawalakot and
Pallandri tehsils of
Poonch (then a district, now a division), against the State of
Pakistan by angered Sudhans. After the 'bomb shell' of Sardar Ibrahim Khan's dismissal, who was a respected leader of the Sudhan tribe, 'Colonel (Retired)
Sher Ahmed Khan, another
sardar and
scion of the
Sudhan tribe and the senior most military officer from Poonch, was made a cabinet minister with responsibility for defense, education and health. Colonel Sher Ahmed Khan eventually resigned because his tribe was strongly opposed to his replacement of
Sardar Ibrahim Khan; violent demonstrations had occurred particularly in the tribals strongholds of
Rawalakot and
Pallandri, where
tribals displeased with the dismissal of Ibrahim Khan protested the replacement government. The turmoil in Poonch continued to worsen until the
Azad Kashmir Police could no longer control it, resulting in members of the Punjab Constabulary of the Pakistani Army being brought in. The Pakistan Army's
12th Division, with headquarters in Murree and with some forces already deployed in Azad Kashmir joined in to suppress the unrest, declaring martial law in Poonch and beginning the PC Pak Search Sudhan Operation. In the ensuing conflict, some Sudhan tribals captured 150 soldiers of the Punjab Constabulary and obtained their weapons. Sudhan antigovernment actions intensified in February 1955 with an assassination attempt in Poonch on the Azad Kashmir President, Sher Ahmed Khan, from which he had a 'miraculous escape'. Matters escalated when police sought to arrest an 'absconding accused' by entering a mosque at Pallandri. Thereafter, Sudhans clashed with the Pakistan Army, and the Punjab Constabulary, which dealt with the insurrection brutally. Similarly, the Punjab Prosecuting Agency was 'a terror' to Azad Kashmiris, particularly those incarcerated. It took another year until the uprising was suppressed in 1956. == Causes ==