Editing Azad Kashmir (section)

==Demographics==
===Population===
The population of Azad Kashmir, according to the preliminary results of [[2017 Census of Pakistan|the 2017 Census]], is 4.045 million.<ref>{{cite web| date = 26 August 2017| title = Census 2017: AJK population rises to over 4m| work = The Nation| url = https://nation.com.pk/27-Aug-2017/census-2017-ajk-population-rises-to-over-4m| access-date = 10 June 2018| archive-date = 12 June 2018| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180612140054/https://nation.com.pk/27-Aug-2017/census-2017-ajk-population-rises-to-over-4m| url-status = live}}</ref> The website of the AJK government reports the literacy rate to be 74%, with the enrolment rate in primary school being 98% and 90% for boys and girls respectively.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.ajk.gov.pk/qStatus.php |title= AJ&K at a Glance |access-date= 10 June 2018 |archive-date= 12 June 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180612162046/http://www.ajk.gov.pk/qStatus.php |url-status= live }}</ref>

The population of Azad Kashmir is almost entirely Muslim. The people of this region culturally differ from the [[Kashmiri people|Kashmiris]] living in the [[Kashmir Valley]] of [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]] and are closer to the culture of [[Jammu Division|Jammu]]. [[Mirpur, Azad Kashmir|Mirpur]], [[Kotli]], and [[Bhimber]] are all old towns of the Jammu region.<ref name="HRW report">{{Cite report|publisher=Human Rights Watch|date=September 2006|title=With Friends Like These...|url=https://www.hrw.org/reports/2006/pakistan0906/3.htm|access-date=24 November 2013|volume=18|issue=2|archive-date=2 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202221515/http://www.hrw.org/reports/2006/pakistan0906/3.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Religion===
Azad Jammu and Kashmir has an almost entirely [[Muslim]] population. According to data maintained by Christian community organizations, there are around 4,500 Christian residents in the region. Bhimber is home to most of them, followed by Mirpur and Muzaffarabad. A few dozen families also live in Kotli, Poonch, and Bagh. However, the Christian community has been struggling to get residential status and property rights in AJK.

There is no official data on the total number of [[Bahai]]s in AJK. Only six Bahai families are known to be living in Muzaffarabad with others living in rural areas.

The followers of the [[Ahmadi]] faith are estimated to be somewhere between 20,000 and 25,000, and most of them live in Kotli, Mirpur, Bhimber, and Muzaffarabad.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://asianlite.com/news/asia-diaspora-news/the-plight-of-minorities-in-azad-kashmir/ |title=The Plight of Minorities in 'Azad Kashmir' |work=Asian News from UK - Leading Newspaper for Politics, Business & Economy |publisher=Asianlite.com |date=14 January 2019 |access-date=6 April 2020 |archive-date=15 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200415171357/https://asianlite.com/news/asia-diaspora-news/the-plight-of-minorities-in-azad-kashmir/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Religious groups in Azad Jammu and Kashmir ([[Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)|Jammu & Kashmir Princely State]] era)
! rowspan="2" |[[Religion in Pakistan|Religious]]<br>group
! colspan="2" |1891<ref name="Census1891">{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25352828 |jstor=saoa.crl.25352828 |access-date=7 December 2024 |title=Census of India, 1891. Volume XXVIII, The Kashmir state : the report on the census and imperial and supplementary tables |year=1891 |pages=213 |last1=Ram |first1=Bhag |author2=India }}</ref>
! colspan="2" |1901<ref name="Census1901">{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25366883 |jstor=saoa.crl.25366883 |access-date=3 November 2024 |title=Census of India 1901. Vol. 23A, Kashmir. Pt. 2, Tables. |year=1901 |pages=20}}</ref>
! colspan="2" |1911<ref name="Census1911">{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25394111 |jstor=saoa.crl.25394111 |access-date=3 November 2024 |title=Census of India 1911. Vol. 20, Kashmir. Pt. 2, Tables. |year=1911 |pages=17}}</ref>
! colspan="2" |1921<ref name="Census1921">{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25430177 |jstor=saoa.crl.25430177 |access-date=3 November 2024 |title=Census of India 1921. Vol. 22, Kashmir. Pt. 2, Tables. |year=1921 |pages=15}}</ref>
! colspan="2" |1931<ref name="Census1931">{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25797120 |jstor=saoa.crl.25797120 |access-date=3 November 2024 |title=Census of India 1931. Vol. 24, Jammu & Kashmir State. Pt. 2, Imperial & state tables. |year=1931 |pages=267}}</ref>
! colspan="2" |1941<ref name="Census1941">{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.28215644 |jstor=saoa.crl.28215644 |access-date=3 November 2024 |title=Census of India, 1941. Vol. 22, Jammu & Kashmir |year=1941 |pages=337–352 |author1=India Census Commissioner |volume=22 }}</ref>
|-
![[Population|{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}]]
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
|-
! [[Islam]] [[File:Star and Crescent.svg|15px]]
| 659,265
| {{Percentage | 659265 | 758907 | 2 }}
| 747,426
| {{Percentage | 747426 | 872915 | 2 }}
| 749,945
| {{Percentage | 749945 | 854531 | 2 }}
| 780,607
| {{Percentage | 780607 | 886861 | 2 }}
| 850,135
| {{Percentage | 850135 | 969578 | 2 }}
| 939,460
| {{Percentage | 939460 | 1073154 | 2 }}
|-
! [[Hinduism]] [[File:Om.svg|15px]]
| 92,639
| {{Percentage | 92639 | 758907 | 2 }}
| 108,331
| {{Percentage | 108331 | 872915 | 2 }}
| 84,130
| {{Percentage | 84130 | 854531 | 2 }}
| 81,733
| {{Percentage | 81733 | 886861 | 2 }}
| 87,554
| {{Percentage | 87554 | 969578 | 2 }}
| 93,559
| {{Percentage | 93559 | 1073154 | 2 }}
|-
! [[Sikhism]] [[File:Khanda.svg|15px]]
| 6,918
| {{Percentage | 6918 | 758907 | 2 }}
| 17,132
| {{Percentage | 17132 | 872915 | 2 }}
| 20,391
| {{Percentage | 20391 | 854531 | 2 }}
| 24,491
| {{Percentage | 24491 | 886861 | 2 }}
| 31,709
| {{Percentage | 31709 | 969578 | 2 }}
| 39,910
| {{Percentage | 39910 | 1073154 | 2 }}
|-
! [[Jainism]] [[File:Jain_Prateek_Chihna.svg|15px]]
| 64
| {{Percentage | 64 | 758907 | 2 }}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 872915 | 2 }}
| 8
| {{Percentage | 8 | 854531 | 2 }}
| 6
| {{Percentage | 6 | 886861 | 2 }}
| 11
| {{Percentage | 11 | 969578 | 2 }}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 1073154 | 2 }}
|-
! [[Christianity]] [[File:Christian cross.svg|15px]]
| 21
| {{Percentage | 21 | 758907 | 2 }}
| 18
| {{Percentage | 18 | 872915 | 2 }}
| 55
| {{Percentage | 55 | 854531 | 2 }}
| 24
| {{Percentage | 24 | 886861 | 2 }}
| 168
| {{Percentage | 168 | 969578 | 2 }}
| 136
| {{Percentage | 136 | 1073154 | 2 }}
|-
! [[Buddhism]] [[File:Dharma_Wheel_(2).svg|15px]]
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 758907 | 2 }}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 872915 | 2 }}
| 2
| {{Percentage | 2 | 854531 | 2 }}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 886861 | 2 }}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 969578 | 2 }}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 1073154 | 2 }}
|-
! [[Zoroastrianism]] [[File:Faravahar.svg|15px]]
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 758907 | 2 }}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 872915 | 2 }}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 854531 | 2 }}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 886861 | 2 }}
| 1
| {{Percentage | 1 | 969578 | 2 }}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 1073154 | 2 }}
|-
! Tribal
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 758907 | 2 }}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 969578 | 2 }}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 1073154 | 2 }}
|-
! [[Judaism]] [[File:Star_of_David.svg|15px]]
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 1073154 | 2 }}
|-
! Others
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 758907 | 2 }}
| 8
| {{Percentage | 8 | 872915 | 2 }}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 854531 | 2 }}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 886861 | 2 }}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 969578 | 2 }}
| 89
| {{Percentage | 89 | 1073154 | 2 }}
|-
! Total population
! 758,907
! {{Percentage | 758907 | 758907 | 2 }}
! 872,915
! {{Percentage | 872915 | 872915 | 2 }}
! 854,531
! {{Percentage | 854531 | 854531 | 2 }}
! 886,861
! {{Percentage | 886861 | 886861 | 2 }}
! 969,578
! {{Percentage | 969578 | 969578 | 2 }}
! 1,073,154
! {{Percentage | 1073154 | 1073154 | 2 }}
|- class="sortbottom"
| colspan="15" | {{small|Note1: 1891 & 1901 figures taken from [[Census in British India|census data]] by combining the total population of two [[Districts of British India|districts]] ([[Bhimber District|Bhimber]] and [[Muzaffarabad District|Muzaffarabad]]) and one [[Jagir]] ([[Poonch jagir|Poonch]]) in the [[Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir]] that ultimately would be administered by Pakistan, in the contemporary self-administrative territory of [[Azad Jammu and Kashmir]].<br><br>Note2: 1911–1941 figures taken from [[Census in British India|census data]] by combining the total population of two [[Districts of British India|districts]] ([[Mirpur District|Mirpur]] and [[Muzaffarabad District|Muzaffarabad]]) and one [[Jagir]] ([[Poonch jagir|Poonch]]) in the [[Princely State of Jammu and Kashmir]] that ultimately would be administered by Pakistan, in the contemporary self-administrative territory of [[Azad Jammu and Kashmir]].}}
|}

===Ethnic groups===
{{See also|Azad Kashmiri diaspora}}

[[Christopher Snedden]] writes that most of the native residents of Azad Kashmir are not of [[Kashmiris|Kashmiri]] ethnicity; rather, they could be called "[[Jammu region|Jammuites]]" due to their historical and cultural links with that region, which is coterminous with neighbouring [[Punjab region|Punjab]] and [[Hazara region|Hazara]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Snedden |first=Christopher |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a19eCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT23 |title=Understanding Kashmir and Kashmiris |date=15 September 2015 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-1-84904-622-0 |pages=21–24 |language=en |quote=Confusingly, the term 'Kashmiri' also has wider connotations and uses. Some people in Azad Kashmir call themselves 'Kashmiris' This is despite most Azad Kashmiris not being of Kashmiri ethnicity. Indeed, most of their ethnic, cultural and historical links have been, and remain, with areas to the south and west of Azad Kashmir, chiefly Punjab and the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), now called Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. Nevertheless, Azad Kashmiris call themselves Kashmiris because of their region's historical connections with the former princely state of J&K that popularly was called Kashmir. Some Azad Kashmiris also call themselves Kashmiris simply because their region's official name, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, has the word Kashmir in it. (Using the same logic, Azad Kashmiris could call themselves "'Jammuites', which historically and culturally would be more accurate, or even 'Azadi- ites'.) |access-date=20 March 2018 |archive-date=17 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117135720/https://books.google.com/books?id=a19eCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT23 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Kennedy |first=Charles H. |title=The Territorial Management of Ethnic Conflict |date=2 August 2004 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781135764425 |editor=John Coakley |page=153 |chapter=Pakistan: Ethnic Diversity and Colonial Legacy |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nEqRAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA153 |access-date=20 March 2018 |archive-date=17 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117135718/https://books.google.com/books?id=nEqRAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA153 |url-status=live }}</ref> Because their region was formerly a part of the [[Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)|princely state]] of Jammu and Kashmir and is named after it, many Azad Kashmiris have adopted the "Kashmiri" identity, whereas in an ethnolinguistic context, the term "Kashmiri" would ordinarily refer to natives of the [[Kashmir Valley]] region.<ref name="Snedden2015">{{cite book |author=Christopher Snedden |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a19eCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT23 |title=Understanding Kashmir and Kashmiris |date=15 September 2015 |publisher=Hurst |isbn=978-1-84904-622-0 |pages=21–24 |access-date=20 March 2018 |archive-date=17 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117135720/https://books.google.com/books?id=a19eCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT23 |url-status=live }}</ref> The population of Azad Kashmir has strong historical, cultural and linguistic affinities with the neighbouring populations of upper [[Punjab]] and [[Pothohar Plateau|Potohar]] region of Pakistan,<ref>{{Citation |last1=Jabeen |first1=Nazish |title=Consanguinity and Its Sociodemographic Differentials in Bhimber District, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan |date=June 2014 |journal=Journal of Health, Population, and Nutrition |volume=32 |issue=2 |pages=301–313 |pmc=4216966 |pmid=25076667 |quote=Kashmiri population in the northeast of Pakistan has strong historical, cultural and linguistic affinities with the neighbouring populations of upper Punjab and Potohar region of Pakistan. |last2=Malik |first2=Sajid}}</ref><ref>{{citation |last=Ballard |first=Roger |title=Kashmir Crisis: View from Mirpur |date=2 March 1991 |url=https://casas.org.uk/papers/pdfpapers/kashmir.pdf |journal=[[Economic and Political Weekly]] |volume=26 |number=9/10 |pages=513–517 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304034904/http://casas.org.uk/papers/pdfpapers/kashmir.pdf |jstor=4397403 |quote="... they are best seen as forming the eastern and northern limits of the Potohari Punjabi culture which is otherwise characteristic of the upland parts of Rawalpindi and Jhelum Districts" |access-date=19 July 2020 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> whereas the [[Sudhans]] have the oral tradition of Pashtuns.<ref>{{cite book |author=Syed Ali |title=Strategic Coercion: Concepts and Cases |date=1998 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0-19-829349-6 |editor=Lawrence Freedman |page=253 |chapter=South Asia: The Perils of Covert Coercion |quote=Poonch at the time of partition was predominantly Muslim and the overwhelming majority of them were Sudhans, who were descendants of Pashtuns of Afghanistan, settled in the region some centuries ago.}}</ref>{{sfn|Snedden|2013|loc=p. 43: "Sudhans from Poonch considered themselves to be ''Sudho Zai'' Pathans (Pukhtoons), which explained why the [[Pashtuns|Pashtun]] tribesmen from NWFP province lost no time coming to help Jammu and Kashmir's Muslims in 1947.."}}

The main communities living in this region are:<ref name="The Role of Biradaris">
{{harvnb|Snedden|2013|loc=Role of Biradaries (pp.&nbsp;128–133)}}
</ref>
* [[Gujjars]] – They are an agricultural tribe and are estimated to be the largest community living in the ten districts of Azad Kashmir.<ref name="The Role of Biradaris" /><ref name="Poonch Profile">{{cite web |url=http://www.erra.pk/Reports/KMC/RawlakotProfile200907.pdf |title=District Profile - Rawalakot/Poonch |publisher=Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority |date=July 2007 |access-date=31 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924001855/http://www.erra.pk/Reports/KMC/RawlakotProfile200907.pdf |archive-date=24 September 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Bagh Profile">{{cite web |url=http://www.erra.pk/Reports/KMC/BaghProfile200907.pdf |title=District Profile - Bagh |publisher=Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority |date=June 2007 |access-date=31 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924001853/http://www.erra.pk/Reports/KMC/BaghProfile200907.pdf |archive-date=24 September 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> They are estimated to number around 800,000.<ref name="hrw.org">{{cite web |title="With Friends Like These...": Human Rights Violations in Azad Kashmir: II. Background |url=https://www.hrw.org/reports/2006/pakistan0906/3.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308175448/https://www.hrw.org/reports/2006/pakistan0906/3.htm |archive-date=8 March 2021 |access-date=14 June 2019 |publisher=Human Rights Watch}}</ref>
* [[Sudhans]] – (also known as Sadozai, Sardar) are the second largest tribe, inhabiting mainly the districts of [[Poonch district, Pakistan|Poonch]], [[Sudhanoti District|Sudhanoti]], [[Bagh District|Bagh]], and [[Kotli District|Kotli]] in Azad Kashmir. They allegedly originated from [[Pashtuns|Pashtun]] areas.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Untold Story of the People of Azad Kashmir|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=autVo01f2AsC|publisher=Columbia University Press|page=xix|first=Christopher|last=Snedden|year=2012|isbn=9780231800204|quote=Sudhan/Sudhozai – one of the main tribes of (southern) Poonch, allegedly originating from Pashtun areas.|access-date=12 June 2019|archive-date=17 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117135718/https://books.google.com/books?id=autVo01f2AsC|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="The Role of Biradaris" /><ref name="Poonch Profile" /> Their population numbers over 500,000, and together with the Rajputs they are the source of most of Azad Kashmir's political class.<ref name="hrw.org"/>

* Jats – They are one of the larger communities of AJK and primarily inhabit the districts of Mirpur, Bhimber, and Kotli. A large [[British Mirpuris|Mirpuri]] population lives in the U.K. and it is estimated that more people of Mirpuri origins are now residing in the U.K. than in the Mirpur district, which retains strong ties with the U.K.<ref name="The Role of Biradaris" /><ref>{{cite news |last=Moss |first=Paul |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6178092.stm |title=South Asia &#124; The limits to integration |work=BBC News |date=30 November 2006 |access-date=5 June 2010 |archive-date=30 August 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070830120420/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6178092.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> Mirpuri Jats number approximately 300 000.<ref name="hrw.org" />
* [[Rajput]]s – They are spread across the territory, and they number a little under 500,000. Together with the Sudhans, they are the source of most of Azad Kashmir's political class.<ref name="hrw.org"/>
* [[Mughal tribe|Mughals]] – Largely located in the [[Bagh, Azad Kashmir|Bagh]] and [[Muzaffarabad]] districts.<ref name="Bagh Profile" />
* [[Awan (tribe)|Awans]] – A clan with significant numbers in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, living mainly in the [[Bagh District|Bagh]], [[Poonch District, Pakistan|Poonch]], Hattian Bala, and [[Muzaffarabad District|Muzaffarabad]]. Awans also reside in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in large numbers.<ref name="The Role of Biradaris" /><ref name="Poonch Profile" /><ref name="Bagh Profile" />
* [[Dhund (tribe)|Dhund]] – They are a large clan in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and live mostly in the [[Bagh District|Bagh]], [[Hattian Bala District|Hattian Bala]], and Muzaffarabad districts. They also inhabit Abbottabad and upper Potohar Punjab in large numbers.<ref name="The Role of Biradaris" /><ref name="Poonch Profile" /><ref name="Bagh Profile" />
* [[Kashmiris]] – Ethnic Kashmiri populations are found in the [[Neelam Valley]] and the [[Leepa Valley]] (see [[Kashmiris in Azad Kashmir]]).<ref name="Snedden 20152">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a19eCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT23|title=Understanding Kashmir and Kashmiris|last=Snedden|first=Christopher|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2015|isbn=978-1-84904-622-0|page=23|access-date=20 March 2018|archive-date=17 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117135720/https://books.google.com/books?id=a19eCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT23|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Languages===
{{Pie chart
| thumb = right
| caption = Languages by approximate number of speakers<ref name="SYB 2020">{{Cite book|url=https://www.pndajk.gov.pk/uploadfiles/downloads/Statistical%20Year%20Book%202020.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.pndajk.gov.pk/uploadfiles/downloads/Statistical%20Year%20Book%202020.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |url-status=live|access-date=3 March 2022|title=Statistical Year Book 2020| place = Muzaffarabad| publisher = AJ&K Bureau Of Statistics| pages = 131, 140}}</ref>
| label1 = [[Pahari-Pothwari]]/[[Punjabi dialects and languages|Punjabi]]
| value1 = 68
| color1 = Green
| label2 = [[Gujari language|Gojri]]
| value2 = 19
| color2 = blue
| label3 = [[Kashmiri language|Kashmiri]]
| value3 = 5
| color3 = yellow
| label4 = Others
| color4 = Grey
| value4 = 8
}}
The official language of Azad Kashmir is [[Urdu]],{{sfn|Rahman|1996|p=226}}<ref group="note">{{harvnb|Snedden|2013|loc=p. 176}}: On p.&nbsp;29, the census report states that Urdu is the official language of the government of Azad Kashmir, with Kashmiri, Pahari, Gojri, Punjabi, Kohistani, Pushto, and Sheena 'frequently spoken in Azad Kashmir'. Yet, when surveyed about their 'mother tongue', Azad Kashmiris' choices were limited to selecting from Pakistan's major languages: Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pushto, Balochi, Saraiki, and 'others'; not surprisingly, 2.18 million of Azad Kashmir's 2.97 million people chose 'others'.</ref> while [[English in Pakistan|English]] is used in higher [[Domain of language use|domains]]. The majority of the population, however, are native speakers of other languages. The foremost among these is [[Pahari–Pothwari]] (a dialect of [[Punjabi dialects and languages|Punjabi]]) with its various dialects. There are also sizeable communities speaking [[Kashmiri language|Kashmiri]] (mostly in the north), [[Gujari language|Gujari]] (throughout the territory), and [[Dogri language|Dogri]] (in the south), as well as pockets of speakers of [[Kundal Shahi language|Kundal Shahi]], [[Shina language|Shina]] and [[Pashto]]. With the exception of Pashto and English, those languages belong to the [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indo-Aryan]] language family.

The dialects of the [[Pahari-Pothwari]] (a [[Punjabi dialects and languages|Punjabic]] dialect in of itself) language complex cover most of the territory of Azad Kashmir. Those are also spoken across the Line of Control in the neighbouring areas of Indian Jammu and Kashmir and are closely related both to [[Punjabi language|Majhi Punjabi]] to the south, other [[Lahnda|Lahnda Punjabi]] dialects and [[Northern Hindko|Hindko]] to the northwest. The language variety in the southern districts of Azad Kashmir is known by a variety of names – including ''Mirpuri'', ''Pothwari'' and ''Pahari'' – and is closely related to the Pothwari dialect proper spoken to the east in the [[Pothohar region]] of Punjab. The dialects of the central districts of Azad Kashmir are occasionally referred to in the literature as ''Chibhali'' or ''Punchi'', but the speakers themselves usually call them ''Pahari'', an ambiguous name that is also used for [[Pahari language (name)|several unrelated languages]] of the lower Himalayas. Going north, the speech forms gradually change into Hindko. Today, in the [[Muzaffarabad District]] the preferred local name for the language is ''Hindko'', although it is still apparently more closely related to the core dialects of Pahari.<ref>The preceding paragraph is mostly based on {{harvtxt|Lothers|Lothers|2010}}. For further references, see the bibliography in [[Pahari-Pothwari]].</ref> Further north in the [[Neelam Valley]] the dialect, locally also known as ''Parmi'', can more unambiguously be subsumed under Hindko.{{sfn|Akhtar|Rehman|2007|p=68|ps = . The conclusion is based on lexical similarity and the comparison is with the Hindko of the [[Kaghan Valley]] and with the Pahari of the Murree Hills.}}

Another major language of Azad Kashmir is [[Gujari language|Gujari]]. It is spoken by several hundred thousand<ref group="note">{{harvtxt|Hallberg|O'Leary|1992|p=96}} report two rough estimates for the total population of Gujari speakers in Azad Kashmir: 200,000 and 700,000, both from the 1980s.</ref> people among the traditionally nomadic [[Gujars]], many of whom are nowadays settled. Not all ethnic Gujars speak Gujari, the proportion of those who have shifted to other languages is probably higher in southern Azad Kashmir.{{sfn|Hallberg|O'Leary|1992|pp=96, 98, 100}} Gujari is most closely related to the [[Rajasthani languages]] (particularly [[Mewati language|Mewati]]), although it also shares features with Punjabi.{{sfn|Hallberg|O'Leary|1992|pp=93–94}} It is dispersed over large areas in northern Pakistan and India. Within Pakistan, the Gujari dialects of Azad Kashmir are more similar, in terms of shared basic vocabulary and mutual intelligibility, to the Gujar varieties of the neighbouring [[Hazara region (Pakistan)|Hazara region]] than to the dialects spoken further to the northwest in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and north in [[Gilgit District|Gilgit]].{{sfn|Hallberg|O'Leary|1992|pp=111–12, 126}}

There are scattered communities of [[Kashmiri language|Kashmiri]] speakers,<ref>{{harvnb|Rahman|2002|p=449}}; {{harvnb|Rahman|1996|p=226}}</ref> notably in the [[Neelam Valley]], where they form the second-largest language group after speakers of Hindko.{{sfn|Akhtar|Rehman|2007|p=70}} There have been calls for the teaching of Kashmiri (particularly in order to counter India's claim of promoting the culture of Kashmir), but the limited attempts at introducing the language at the secondary school level have not been successful, and it is Urdu, rather than Kashmiri, that Kashmiri Muslims have seen as their identity symbol.<ref>{{harvnb|Rahman|1996|p=226}}; {{harvnb|Rahman|2002|pp=449–50}}. The discussion in both cases is in the broader context of Pakistan.</ref> There is an ongoing process of gradual [[language shift|shift]] to larger local languages,{{sfn|Rahman|1996|p=226}} but at least in the Neelam Valley there still exist communities for whom Kashmiri is the sole mother tongue.{{sfn|Akhtar|Rehman|2007|pp=70, 75}}

There are speakers of [[Dogri language|Dogri]] in the southernmost [[Bhimber District|district of Bhimber]], where they are estimated to represent almost a third of the district's population.<ref name="SYB 2020"/> In the northernmost [[Neelum District#Languages|district of Neelam]], there are small communities of speakers of several other languages. [[Shina language|Shina]], which like Kashmiri belongs to the broad [[Dardic languages|Dardic]] group, is present in two distinct varieties spoken altogether in three villages. [[Pashto]], of the [[Iranian languages|Iranian subgroup]] and the majority language in the neighbouring province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is spoken in two villages, both situated on the Line of Control. The endangered [[Kundal Shahi language|Kundal Shahi]] is native to the eponymous village and it is the only language not found outside Azad Kashmir.{{sfn|Akhtar|Rehman|2007}}