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• Avian H9N2 viruses may be common among live bird market poultry in Pakistan. • These viruses may occasionally spill over to infect humans. • Surveillance for influenza viruses is needed in Pakistan's live bird markets. This study sought to detect and characterize influenza A (IAV) and influenza D (IDV) viruses circulating among commercial birds and shop owners in Pakistan's live bird markets. Oropharyngeal swabs (n = 600; n = 300 pools) collected from poultry and nasopharyngeal swabs (n = 240) collected from poultry workers were studied for molecular evidence of IAV and IDV using real-time and conventional real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction protocols. Nineteen (6.3%) poultry pools were positive for IAV and 73.9% of these were positive for H9N2 subtypes. Two (0.83%) poultry workers had evidence of IAV, and both were also H9N2 subtypes. The poultry and human IAV-positive specimens all clustered phylogenetically by Sanger and next-generation sequencing with previously detected H9N2 poultry isolates. No field specimens were positive for IDV. H9N2 IAV is likely enzootic in Punjab Province Pakistan's live bird markets and may be colonizing the noses of workers and market visitors. Regular monitoring for avian influenza-associated human illness in Punjab seems to be a needed public measure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]