The languages spoken in Azad Kashmir vary by district. Pahari, a family of dialects related to Punjabi, is the main one, spoken at home by half or more of the population in most districts. Gojri is spoken by Gujjar and Bakarwal communities across the territory, Kashmiri survives mainly in the Neelum Valley and Muzaffarabad city, and the far south has Dogri and Punjabi. Urdu is the official language and is understood everywhere, so a visitor never needs the local language to get by.
This guide explains who speaks what, where, and what you will actually hear on the main tourist routes: the Neelum road, the Poonch towns and Mirpur.
| District | Main home languages (estimated share) |
|---|---|
| Muzaffarabad | Pahari, locally called Hindko, 50%; Gojri 35%; Kashmiri 15% |
| Neelum | Hindko (Parmi) the largest; Kashmiri about 20%; small Shina, Gojri and Kundal Shahi communities |
| Bagh | Pahari 95%; Gojri 3%; Kashmiri 2% |
| Haveli | Pahari 65%; Gojri 30%; Kashmiri 5% |
| Kotli | Pahari-Pothwari 50%; Gojri 35%; others 15% |
| Mirpur | Mirpuri Pahari about 85%; Gojri about 10% |
| Bhimber | Punjabi 35%; Mirpuri Pahari 30%; Dogri 30%; Gojri 5% |
These shares are estimates drawn from linguistic surveys and the 1998 census, as summarised on Wikipedia's district pages. The 2023 census put the territory's population at about 4.33 million, but more recent language figures by district are not easy to find, so treat the table as a guide to proportions rather than a count.
Pahari: the main language of the territory
Pahari (often written Pahari-Pothwari) is an Indo-Aryan language usually classed as a variety of Western Punjabi. It is not one uniform dialect. In the south it is called Mirpuri or Pothwari and is close to the Pothwari of the Pothohar Plateau in Punjab. In the central districts, around Rawalakot, Bagh and Sudhanoti, speakers simply call it Pahari; the variety in Bagh is sometimes named Dhundi-Kairali, and it shares about 86 to 88 per cent of its basic vocabulary with the Pahari of the Murree hills.
Moving north, the speech gradually becomes Hindko. In Muzaffarabad district the preferred local name for the language is Hindko, even though linguists find it closer to the central Pahari dialects than to the Hindko of Mansehra and Abbottabad. In the Neelum Valley it is called Parmi and sits more clearly within Hindko. The two ends of the chain are not always easy to follow for each other: surveys found the difference between Mirpuri and the Muzaffarabad dialect is enough to impede understanding.
Written Pahari is uncommon. Almost everything you see in print, from road signs to newspapers, is in Urdu.
Gojri: the language of the herding communities
Gojri (also called Gujari) is spoken by Gujjar and Bakarwal families, traditionally herders who move between lower valleys in winter and high summer pastures. It is most closely related to the Rajasthani languages, especially Mewati, with Punjabi features, and is native to around a third of the population in Muzaffarabad, Kotli and Haveli.
Not every ethnic Gujjar still speaks it. In the Neelum Valley most Gujjar villages have shifted to Hindko, and Gojri is kept most consistently by the Bakarwal, who bring their herds up into the valley each summer. If you meet a herding family on a high summer pasture, there is a good chance Gojri is what they speak among themselves.
Kashmiri: concentrated in the north
Kashmiri is a minority language in Azad Kashmir as a whole. The 1998 census counted 132,450 Kashmiri speakers, about 5 per cent of the population, concentrated in Neelum (about 20 per cent), Muzaffarabad and Hattian (about 15 per cent each), with small numbers in Haveli and Bagh.
In the Neelum Valley, Kashmiri is the second most widely spoken language and the majority language in about a dozen villages; in roughly half of those it is the only mother tongue. Its Neelum dialect is closer to the Kashmiri of Kupwara, across the Line of Control, than to the Kashmiri spoken in Muzaffarabad city. Speakers include long-settled Neelum villagers as well as families who crossed from the Kashmir Valley in 1947 to 1948, 1965, 1971 and the 1990s. The language is slowly losing ground to Hindko, Pahari and Urdu, and attempts to teach it in schools have not taken hold.
The small languages of the upper Neelum
The upper Neelum Valley holds several languages found in only a few villages, which is part of what makes the valley culturally distinct from the rest of the territory:
- Shina, a Dardic language, is spoken in two varieties in three villages. One is at Taobat and nearby Karimabad (formerly Sutti), close to the Line of Control, where speakers say their Shina is close to that of Gurez across the border. The other is at Phulawai, about 35 km downstream, whose people trace their origins to Nait near Chilas.
- Kundal Shahi is native to the village of the same name near Athmuqam, and is the only language spoken nowhere outside Azad Kashmir. Estimates put its speakers at a few hundred, mostly older people, and it is severely endangered as families shift to Hindko.
- Pashto is spoken in two villages, both on the Line of Control.
None of these communities expects visitors to speak their language, and almost everyone also speaks Hindko and Urdu. Our Neelum Valley culture guide covers customs in the valley, and our Taobat guide covers the village at the end of the road.
Mirpur, Bhimber and the UK connection
Mirpur district's dialect, often called Mirpuri, is spoken by an estimated 85 per cent of the district. It shares about 77 to 84 per cent of its basic vocabulary with the other main Pahari-Pothwari dialects, and speakers from Mirpur and the Pothohar generally understand each other easily. It is also the dialect carried abroad by the large British Pakistani community with roots in Mirpur, many of whom emigrated after the Mangla Dam flooded villages in the 1960s. If you hear British-Pakistani visitors in Mirpur speaking what sounds like a mix of Punjabi and Urdu, that is most likely Mirpuri. Our guide to why Mirpur is called Little England tells that story.
Further south, Bhimber is the most mixed district: Punjabi, Mirpuri Pahari and Dogri are each spoken by roughly a third of the population, and Dogri here links the district to the Jammu region across the border.
What this means for travellers
You don't need Pahari, Gojri or Kashmiri to travel in Azad Kashmir. Urdu is understood everywhere, including in villages where it isn't the first language at home, and English is common in towns and among younger people, hotel staff and guides.
A few points that do help:
- "Assalam-o-Alaikum" is the standard greeting anywhere in the region and is always well received.
- Basic Urdu goes further than English once you're off the main roads, so simple phrases like "shukriya" (thank you) are useful even if you speak mostly English otherwise.
- In upper Neelum villages, some older residents are more comfortable in Kashmiri, Shina or Hindko than Urdu, and a local guide or hotel host can bridge that easily.
- If you speak Punjabi or Hindko, you will follow a good deal of everyday Pahari, especially in Mirpur, Kotli and Bagh.
For more on the culture behind these languages, our guide to Azad Kashmir culture and traditions covers customs and etiquette.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main language spoken in Azad Kashmir?
Pahari in its various dialects, spoken at home by half to almost all of the population depending on the district, with the highest share, about 95 per cent, in Bagh. Urdu is the official language.
Is Kashmiri widely spoken in Azad Kashmir?
Not across the whole territory, where about 5 per cent speak it. It is more common in the Neelum Valley, where it is the second language after Hindko, and in Muzaffarabad city.
Is the language of Muzaffarabad Hindko or Pahari?
Both names are used. People in Muzaffarabad usually call it Hindko, while linguists group it with the central Pahari dialects, which it resembles more closely than the Hindko of Mansehra and Abbottabad.
Which language is found only in Azad Kashmir?
Kundal Shahi, spoken by a few hundred people in Kundal Shahi village near Athmuqam in the Neelum Valley. It is severely endangered.
Do I need to speak Urdu to travel in Azad Kashmir?
No, but it helps. Urdu is understood everywhere, and English is common in towns, hotels and among guides, so most visitors get by without learning any local phrases.
Is Azad Kashmir safe for overseas visitors?
Pakistani tourists visit every year, but as of September 2026 the UK government advises against all travel within 10 miles of the Line of Control, which includes most of the Neelum Valley, and against all but essential travel to the rest of Azad Kashmir. The 2026 protests also brought road blockades and long internet shutdowns. If you hold a foreign passport, check your own government's advice, because travelling against it can void your insurance, and everyone should check local news and current police advice before setting out.
