Kundal Shahi

Kundal Shahi (locally: kunḍal šai) is a village and tourist resort in the Neelum District in northern Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. It has a scattered settlement area, located on both sides of the Jagran Nallah River, at its confluence with the Neelum River. It is a few minutes walking distance from the Neelam Valley highway, some 74 km by road from Muzaffarabad, and a few kilometres away from the Line of Control between India– and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

The majority of the population are of the Qureshi ethnic group, and there are small numbers of people from the Sheikh, Mughal, and Sayyid groups. Members of the Qureshi community, numbering about 3,000 people, speak the Kundal Shahi language. It is an endangered language as it is not being learned by the younger generation, who are shifting to Hindko, the language of wider communication in the area. Most of the people of the village follow the Barelvi school of Sunni Islam.