The Punjabi Pahari of Pakistan

The Punjabi Pahari of Pakistan, numbering approximately 3,710,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a north‑Punjabi ethnolinguistic group of Pakistan and Azad Jammu & Kashmir, defined primarily by the Pahari–Pothwari language continuum and a shared “pahārī” (mountainous) culture. and can also be known as Pahari-Pothwari, Pahari-Potwari. They are an Indigenous people, in the Punjabi people cluster of the South Asian Peoples affinity bloc. Their primary religion is Sunni Islam. They primarily speak Pahari-Potwari.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash: Punjabi Pahari

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: South Asian Peoples
Country: Pakistan
People Cluster: Punjabi
Primary Language(s): Pahari-Potwari (phr)
Primary Religion(s): Sunni Islam
Population: 3,710,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Active CP Activity
People Group ID: PG006393

Pray for the Punjabi Pahari of Pakistan

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Sunni Islam
Religious Affiliation: Islam

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Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Pahari-Potwari
Language Family: Indo-European

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Media Resources in Pahari-Potwari:

Films:

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Bible Resources in Pahari-Potwari:

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Or check out the Pahari-Potwari bible resources at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

Next steps for the Punjabi Pahari

The Punjabi Pahari are Unengaged and Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations among which there are no known efforts focused on establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Begin signifcant prayer and fasting for this group
Send cross-cultural teams to discover and research this people group
Begin gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group

Next steps for the Punjabi Pahari

The Punjabi Pahari are Engaged yet Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations but there are sustained efforts at establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Continue prayer and fasting for this group
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Next steps for the Punjabi Pahari

The Punjabi Pahari are No Longer Unreached, which means there are more than 2% evangelical Christian populations and there are churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. There is still more to be done among them.

Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Punjabi Pahari of Pakistan

But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
readMatthew 5:44-45

Pray for those who don't know Jesus to encounter believers who are kind and compassionate and that their imitation of Christ will serve as a testimony that attracts lost people to Jesus.

For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
read2 Timothy 4:3-4

Pray that the lost will be open to the truth of the gospel and turn from false teachings and myths to the sound doctrine of Christ in faith.

O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.
readPsalm 51:15

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will abide in Him, and God will help them to proclaim His praise and declare His goodness all day long.

And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues.
read2 Corinthians 12:28

Ask God to raise up believers who will faithfully proclaim the good news and equip others to do the same.

Pahari-Potwari (ROP3 - 117353) reported in the following countries:

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

Peoplegroups.org relies on updates from the field and other organizations for much of our data, so if you have any updates, please contact us. We use various international naming standards. For a list of these standards and fields, visit our Definitions page.

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