[8] The Line of Control runs through the valley, either across the mountains to the south-east or in places right along the river, with several villages on the left bank falling on the Indian side of the border.

This is a generally poor region, reliant on subsistence agriculture and handicrafts, with tourism growing in importance in recent years.

[13] Unlike other varieties of Hindko, Pahari or Punjabi, it has preserved the voiced aspirated consonants at the start of the word: for example, gha 'grass' vs. Punjabi kà, where the aspiration and voicing have been lost giving rise to a low tone on the following vowel.

For example, in the Neelam Valley, there is a higher proportion of Urdu loanwords, while the variety spoken across the Line of Control has retained more traditional Hindko words.

It is closer to the variety spoken in northern Kashmir (particularly in Kupwara district) than to the Kashmiri of the city of Muzaffarabad.

Gujari is more consistently maintained among the Bakarwal, who travel into the valley (and beyond, into Gilgit-Baltistan) with their herds in the summer and who spend the winters in the lower parts of Azad Kashmir and in Punjab.

[17] In the upper end of the valley, there are two distinct communities speaking two different varieties of Shina (locally sometimes called Dardi).

[20] Additionally, Urdu is spoken by the formally educated and, like English, is used as a medium of instruction in schools.