Mirpur

Mirpur is a city of 125,000 people (2017) in Pakistan. Mirpur is known for its grand buildings and large bungalows, primarily funded through its expatriate community. Most of the surrounding area remains agricultural.

Understand
Also known as New Mirpur City, Mirpur has gone through military and hydrologic transitions over the years.

Prior to the Kashmir War of 1947, many Hindu refugees had settled in and around Mirpur, but then on November 25th of that year, the Pakistani Army arrived and killed or drove them out, ultimately to be resettled in Jammu or parts of India.

In 1960, the Mangla Dam project came, and old Mirpur city was submerged in the resulting reservoir while nearby Mangla was razed for construction of dam structures. During March and April, when the lake level subsides a little, portions of the old city, including a Hindu mandir from the pre-Independence time when ethnic groups coexisted peacefully, come into view.

A large percentage of Pakistanis who emigrated to the UK originated from Mirpur, the city is often referred to as ‘Little England’ and many British products are available in the city.

New Mirpur was well planned, and modern buildings and ample roads serve each part of city. The affluence from emigration is reflected by the structure and grandiose of the residential houses. There are telltale signs of inward investment by the expatriate community living in the United Kingdom, Europe, North America and the Middle East. There are good hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and other urban facilities.

By plane
The nearest airport is the Islamabad International Airport, which is approximately by road from Mirpur city. Sialkot International Airport is 110 km away

By bus
Buses to Mirpur are available from different parts of the country and also Islamabad Airport.

By car
Mirpur is 230 km north of Lahore.

By buses
Mirpur has the busiest bus network in Azad Kashmir, running from early hours of the morning to late night. Daily routes includes Bhimber District, Dina, Gujrat, Jhelum, Kharian & Kotli District.

The new coaches in Mirpur travel to larger cities of Pakistan including Bahawalpur, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Muzaffarabad, Peshawar, Quetta, Rawalpindi & Sialkot.

By auto rickshaw
Auto rickshaws are very popular mode of transport for routes within the city. Many of the new rickshaws in the city use compressed natural gas (CNG).

By taxis
Also by car hire.

See



 * Basharat Shaheed Monument
 * Ragu Nath Temple
 * Shivala Temple

Do
In April, the Saif Ul Malook Festival takes place in the city center celebrating the spiritual teacher of a local Sufi saint (Mian Muhammad Bakhsh). Pahari Mushahira is another festival, literary in nature, where poetry reading takes place. During the summer, the Rathoa Mela festival takes place near the dam to celebrate culture and tolerance.

Buy
Mirpur is also known as the shopping capital of Azad Kashmir, Mirpur has a large and diverse shopping area, centred around Chowk Shaheeda & Mian Mohammed Road. There are many stores, plazas, shopping malls & markets in these thoroughfares, selling everything from hand made pottery to international brands.



Eat


Also there is Dera Restaurant inside the Crown Plaza mall if you want kind of a more formal Pakistani eating experience.

Sleep
There are various guest houses, rest houses, motels and hotels at most of the tourist spots which can be booked in advance from their offices in Muzaffarabad. (Tel: 058810-32625).



Stay safe
The earthquake in September 2019 caused significant damage to infrastructure in the region, but the recovery since means that in 2022, visits are safe.