Muridke

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Town in Punjab, Pakistan

title: "Muridke" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["populated-places-in-sheikhupura-district"] description: "Town in Punjab, Pakistan" topic_path: "general/populated-places-in-sheikhupura-district" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muridke" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Town in Punjab, Pakistan ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

FieldValue
native_name
nameMuridke
settlement_typeCity
image_skyline
imagesize270
image_captionChand Bagh School ground at night
mapsize150 px
coordinates
pushpin_mapPakistan Punjab#Pakistan
pushpin_label_position
subdivision_typeCountry
subdivision_namePakistan
subdivision_type1Province
subdivision_name1Punjab
subdivision_type2Division
subdivision_name2Lahore
subdivision_type3District
subdivision_name3Sheikhupura
population_total254291
total_typeCity
population_rank37rd, Pakistan
population_as_of2023 census
population_footnotes
elevation_m205
population_density_km2auto
area_code_typeCalling code
timezone1PST
utc_offset1+5
::

| native_name = | name = Muridke | settlement_type = City | image_skyline = | imagesize = 270 | image_alt = | image_caption = Chand Bagh School ground at night | image_map = | mapsize = 150 px | map_alt = | map_caption = | coordinates = | pushpin_map = Pakistan Punjab#Pakistan | pushpin_label_position = | pushpin_map_alt = | pushpin_mapsize = | pushpin_map_caption = | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = Pakistan | subdivision_type1 = Province | subdivision_name1 = Punjab | subdivision_type2 = Division | subdivision_name2 = Lahore | subdivision_type3 = District | subdivision_name3 = Sheikhupura | population_total = 254291 | total_type = City | population_rank = 37rd, Pakistan | population_as_of = 2023 census | population_est = | pop_est_as_of = | population_footnotes = | area_total_km2 = | elevation_m = 205 | elevation_m_min = | elevation_m_max = | population_density_km2 = auto | leader_title = | leader_name = | leader_title1 = | leader_name1 = | area_code = | area_code_type = Calling code | timezone1 = PST | utc_offset1 = +5 | footnotes =

Muridke (Punjabi / ), is a city and headquarters of Muridke Tehsil of Sheikhupura District in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the 37th most populous city of Pakistan as well 25th of the province Punjab. Muridke is a commercial area situated near the city of Lahore, at an elevation of 205 m (675 ft).

Geography

It is 215 meters above sea level, with the land around being largely flat. The area is largely agricultural and is serviced by nearby canals.

Temperature

The average temperature is 23 °C. The hottest month is June, at 39 °C, and the coldest is January, at 7 °C.  The average rainfall is 955 millimetres (37 in) per year. The wettest month is September, at 289 millimetres (11 in) of rainfall, and the driest is November, at 11 millimetres (0.5 in). ::data[format=table]
::

Demographics

Population

According to 2023 census, Muridke had a population of 254,291. The city's population increased nearly ninefold between 1972 and 2017, from 18,507 to 166,652. Between 1998 and 2017, average annual growth was 2.1%, slightly lower than the national average of 2.4%.

Education

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/CBS_Pics16.jpg" caption="[[Chand Bagh School]] in Muridke, Pakistan"] ::

Chand Bagh School is a private boarding school for boys in Muridke. It is situated on the Muridke-Sheikhupura Road. It follows the Cambridge International Examination system.

Landmarks

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Muridke_railway_station.jpg" caption="[[Muridke railway station"] ::

Markaz-e-Taiba

Muridke is known for being home to the Markaz-e-Taiba, the headquarters of Markaz Dawa wal Irshad (MDI) or Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), the parent organisation of the militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), located in the suburb of Nangal Sahdan. The Markaz is a large 200-acre complex that has a range of infrastructure established by Hafiz Muhammad Saeed in 1990. Osama bin Laden, the former leader of Al-Qaeda, is believed to have contributed approximately PKR 10 million (roughly USD 100,000 at the time) towards the development of the complex. The complex includes the Umm al-Qura Mosque, a madrasa, a religious preaching centre, residential quarters, a school, a hospital, a market, a garment factory, an iron factory, a woodwork factory, a stable, a swimming pool, a fishfarm, agricultural tracts and various administrative buildings. While it presents itself as a religious and educational institution, multiple international intelligence assessments and security reports have identified it as a hub for indoctrination, militant training and terrorist recruitment. In 2009, following the Mumbai attacks, the Punjab government took over the complex, and JuD continued to operate from there. The federal and provincial governments in Pakistan continued to allocate funds to the organisation.

The complex was targeted in an airstrike conducted by the Indian Air Force as part of Operation Sindoor on the night between on 7 May 2025. The Government of Pakistan has said that the complex is a civilian facility run by the Government.

Notable people

Notes

References

References

  1. "Punjab (Pakistan): Province and Major Cities, Municipalities & Towns". Citypopulation.de website.
  2. [https://www.fallingrain.com/world/PK/04/Muridke2.html Location of Muridke - Falling Rain Genomics]
  3. [{{Geonameslink
  4. "NASA Earth Observations: Land Cover Classification". NASA/MODIS.
  5. "NASA Earth Observations Data Set Index". NASA.
  6. "NASA Earth Observations: Rainfall (1 month - TRMM)". NASA/Tropical Rainfall Monitoring Mission.
  7. "Population by administrative units 1951-1998". [[Pakistan Bureau of Statistics]].
  8. [http://www.citypopulation.de/Pakistan-100T.html Pakistan: Provinces and Major Cities] at ''citypopulation.de''
  9. [https://www.citypopulation.de/en/pakistan/cities/ Population of major cities of Pakistan] at ''citypopulation.de.''
  10. Nauman Tasleem, ''[http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2011/06/17/city/lahore/punjab-govt-donates-rs-60m-to-an-elite-school/ Punjab govt donates Rs 60m to an elite school]'' dated 17 June 2011 from ''[[Pakistan Today]]'' online at pakistantoday.com.pk. Retrieved 24 March 2012
  11. Brandt, Ben. (2013). "Encyclopedia of Terrorism". ABC-CLIO.
  12. Johnson, Rob. (2005). "A Region in Turmoil: South Asian Conflicts Since 1947". Reaktion Books.
  13. Benazir Shah, [https://foreignpolicy.com/2014/09/26/the-rise-of-lashkar-e-taiba-a-qa-with-arif-jamal/ The Rise of Lashkar-e-Taiba: A Q&A with Arif Jamal], Foreign Policy, 26 September 2014.
  14. Shahid, Kunwar Khuldune. (May 31, 2025). "Pakistan and the Latest Reincarnation of Lashkar-e-Taiba".
  15. (29 April 2025). "Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT)". [[National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism]].
  16. Roy-Chaudhury, Rahul. (15 May 2025). "India–Pakistan drone and missile conflict: differing and disputed narratives". [[International Institute for Strategic Studies]].
  17. Roggio, Bill. (2025-04-24). "Lashkar-e Taiba front group claims responsibility for deadly terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir, India".
  18. Yasmeen, Samina. (1 October 2017). "Jihad and Dawah: Evolving Narratives of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jamat ud Dawah". [[Oxford University Press]].
  19. (June 2014). "Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and the Jamaat-ud-Dawa: the case for a Pakistani narrative".
  20. Calle, Marie-France. (2009-10-12). "Muridke, pépinière tranquille du terrorisme au Pakistan".
  21. Fair, C. Christine. (2018). "In Their Own Words: Understanding Lashkar-e-Tayyaba". Oxford University Press.
  22. Shafqat, Saeed. (2002). "Pakistan: Nationalism Without A Nation". Zed Books.
  23. Ryan Clarke. "[https://press.armywarcollege.edu/monographs/348 Lashkar-I-Taiba: The Fallacy of Subservient Proxies and the Future of Islamist Terrorism in India]". [[United States Army War College. US Army War College Press]], 2010. p. 1-2. "Osama bin Laden is reported to have contributed Pakistani rupees (Rs.) 10 million to the construction of a mosque at MDI’s headquarters in Muridke, Pakistan, and is also believed to have built a guesthouse that he himself has stayed in. ... Muridke still serves as LeT’s headquarters and is largely financed by Middle Eastern and Pakistani donors. This joint complex now consists of a madrassa, hospital, market, residences for scholars and faculty members, a fish farm, and agricultural tracts. In addition, some claim that LeT operates around 16 Islamic institutions, 135 secondary schools, an ambulance service, blood banks, and several seminaries across Pakistan."
  24. (2025-05-07). "Jamaat-ud-Dawa and the Pakistan Army's Narratives".
  25. Fair, C. Christine. (2014-02-23). "Insights from a Database of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen Militants". [[Journal of Strategic Studies]].
  26. "Lashkar-e- Toiba (LeT) Terrorist Group, Jammu & Kashmir".
  27. Riedel, Bruce. (2013). "Avoiding Armageddon: America, India, and Pakistan to the Brink and Back". [[Brookings Institution Press]].
  28. Tankel, Stephen. (2014). "Storming the World Stage: The Story of Lashkar-e-Taiba". Oxford University Press.
  29. (7 May 2025). "'It felt like the sky turned red', says witness to India strike in Pakistan". [[BBC News]].
  30. "Inside Muridke: Did India hit a 'terror base' or a mosque?". Al Jazeera.
  31. Rashid, Hashim bin. (2025-06-01). "India-Pakistan conflict smoulders on".
  32. "Iqbal Masih".
  33. "Jaffar Nazir".

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