Muzaffarabad

This station had been logged in the tropical shortwave bands in several countries of Asia, as well as in Australia, New Zealand, and even occasionally in Europe and the United States.

Two different identification announcements had been heard stating Azad Kashmir Radio Muzaffarabad and Azad Kashmir Radio Trar Kel.

A partial answer to this intriguing situation had been supplied by two men well known in the radio world, US diplomat and DXer Greg Calkins and noted international radio monitor in Sri Lanka, Victor Gunatilaka.

Greg visited the station in Muzaffarabad in 1975 while stationed in Pakistan, and Victor had made some astute monitoring observations from his residence in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

So what was the status of Azad Kashmir Radio? In reality, how many stations were there? How many transmitters carried the AKR programs? And when was the station inaugurated? All of these questions needed an answer.

Now, back in 1983, while stationed in India, I was making plans," now this is Adrian Peterson speaking, "I was making plans for an itinerary into neighboring Pakistan on AWR business.

Soon we were in the hilly areas, and for many hours the bus bumped over narrow, winding, unpaved roads cut into the rock along the edge of steep gorges several thousand feet deep.

Here in these localities, it's the practice of drivers to pass each other slowly on the wrong side of the road so that correct judgment can be made regarding the rising cliff on one side and the falling ravine on the other.

Even though it may be a different dialect, but they still speak it.

People in Muzaffarabad, the same thing.

People in Kishtawar, on the other side, closer to the Jammu side, speak the same thing.

Again, with different dialects.