British Mirpuris

British Mirpuris
Total population
	Approximately 60–70 per cent of the British Pakistani population (estimate for England only)
Regions with significant populations
	Birmingham, Bradford, Manchester, Luton, Leeds, Blackburn and surrounding towns
Languages
	Urdu, Pahari-Pothwari, English (British)
Religion
	Islam

The British Mirpuri (Urdu: برطانوی میرپوری ) community comprises people in the United Kingdom who originate from the Mirpur District and surrounding areas in Pakistan-administered Azad Jammu and Kashmir, thus being a part of the Mirpuri diaspora. While no accurate statistics are available, an estimated 60 to 70 per cent of British Pakistanis in England trace their origins to the administrative territory of Azad Kashmir in northeastern Pakistan, mainly from the Mirpur, Kotli and Bhimber districts.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Mirpuris started settling in Britain in the 1940s, transferring their workmanship on British merchant navy ships to the industrial needs of the growing British economy. The migration accelerated after the construction of the Mangla Dam in 1966, which submerged vast areas of farmland in the Mirpur district.^[4]

^ Balcerowicz, Piotr; Kuszewska, Agnieszka (26 May 2022). Kashmir in India and Pakistan Policies. Taylor & Francis. p. 134. ISBN 978-1-351-06372-2.
^ Sökefeld, Martin (6 June 2016). "The Kashmiri Diaspora in Britain and the Limits of Political Mobilisation". Migration - Networks - Skills. transcript Verlag. pp. 23–46. doi:10.1515/9783839433645-002. ISBN 978-3-8394-3364-5. Individual migration from what later became AJK started already before the Subcontinent's partition and independence. From the 1950s, chain migration developed, transferring large portions of the population of southern AJK (today's districts of Mirpur, Kotli and Bhimber), resulting in quite concentrated settlements of Kashmiris in Britain, especially in Birmingham, Bradford, different towns in Lancashire and around London.
^ Kalia, Ravi (11 August 2015). Pakistan's Political Labyrinths: Military, society and terror. Routledge. p. 183. ISBN 978-1-317-40544-3.
^ Ballard, Roger (2002), "The South Asian presence in Britain and its transnational connections" (PDF), in H. Singh; S. Vertovec (eds.), Culture and economy in the Indian diaspora, London: Routledge, pp. 197–222

[1] Balcerowicz, Piotr; Kuszewska, Agnieszka (26 May 2022). Kashmir in India and Pakistan Policies. Taylor & Francis. p. 134. ISBN 978-1-351-06372-2.

[:0-2] Sökefeld, Martin (6 June 2016). "The Kashmiri Diaspora in Britain and the Limits of Political Mobilisation". Migration - Networks - Skills. transcript Verlag. pp. 23–46. doi:10.1515/9783839433645-002. ISBN 978-3-8394-3364-5. Individual migration from what later became AJK started already before the Subcontinent's partition and independence. From the 1950s, chain migration developed, transferring large portions of the population of southern AJK (today's districts of Mirpur, Kotli and Bhimber), resulting in quite concentrated settlements of Kashmiris in Britain, especially in Birmingham, Bradford, different towns in Lancashire and around London.

[3] Kalia, Ravi (11 August 2015). Pakistan's Political Labyrinths: Military, society and terror. Routledge. p. 183. ISBN 978-1-317-40544-3.

[4] Ballard, Roger (2002), "The South Asian presence in Britain and its transnational connections" (PDF), in H. Singh; S. Vertovec (eds.), Culture and economy in the Indian diaspora, London: Routledge, pp. 197–222

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