Muridke

Town in Punjab, Pakistan

City in Punjab, Pakistan

Muridke

مریدکے

City

Chand Bagh School ground at night

Muridke

Show map of Punjab, Pakistan

Muridke

Show map of Pakistan

Coordinates: 31°48′07″N 74°15′18″E﻿ / ﻿31.802°N 74.255°E﻿ / 31.802; 74.255
Country|  Pakistan
Province| Punjab
District| Sheikhupura
Elevation

| 205 m (673 ft)
Population

(2023 census)[1]

• City

| 254,291
• Rank| 37rd, Pakistan
Time zone| UTC+5 (PST)

Muridke (Punjabi / Urdu: مریدکے), is a city and headquarters of Muridke Tehsil of Sheikhupura District in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the 37th largest city of Pakistan by population. Muridke is situated near the city of Lahore, at an elevation of 205 m (675 ft).[2] It situated on the Grand Trunk Road.

In 2005, Muridke became the headquarters of the newly created Muridke Tehsil of Sheikhupura District.

## Schools

[edit]

Chand Bagh School is situated on the Muridke-Sheikhupura Road.

Jinnah Ideal Higher Secondary School and Al noor group of schools and colleges are other famous schools of Muridke.

## Notable people

[edit]

* Iqbal Masih, former child slave and later activist[3]
* Jaffar Nazir, first-class cricketer[4]
* Bilawal Bhatti, international cricketer
* Imran Nazir, international cricketer

## Markaz-e-Taiba

[edit]

Markaz-e-Taiba is a large complex in Muridke that has a range of infrastructure established by Hafiz Muhammad Saeed that includes a madrasa, a religious preaching centre, residential quarters, a school, 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. Ajmal Kasab, one of the perpetrators of the 2008 Mumbai attacks (26/11) has confessed to have trained here. It is also reported that David Coleman Headley was also trained at this facility. According to various intelligence sources and investigative reports, 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.[5][6][7][8][9][10]

## 2025 Airstrike

[edit]

Muridke was targeted by an airstrike conducted by the Indian Air Force as part of Operation Sindoor on the night between 6 and 7 May 2025. The attack was in response to the Pahalgam Massacre and India has stated that the operation aimed to strike locations associated with terrorist organizations. The primary target was Markaz-e-Taiba, a complex known to have been utilized by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), a Pakistan-based militant organization declared as a terrorist group by the United Nations Security Council and the banned outfit Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD). It is said that the residents were anticipating such an event and the compound was largely vacated prior to attack.[7][8][11][12][13]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Punjab (Pakistan): Province and Major Cities, Municipalities & Towns". Punjab (Pakistan): Province and Major Cities, Municipalities & Towns. Citypopulation.de website. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
2. ^ Location of Muridke - Falling Rain Genomics
3. ^ "Iqbal Masih".
4. ^ "Jaffar Nazir". Cricinfo. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
5. ^ "How India destroyed Pakistan's 'terror nursery' Muridke Markaz, where Kasab trained". Firstpost. 7 May 2025. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
6. ^ ""Ajmal Kasab, David Headley Trained At One Of Camps Targeted In Operation Sindoor": Army". www.ndtv.com. 7 May 2025. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
7. ^ a b "'It felt like the sky turned red', says witness to India strike in Pakistan". www.bbc.com. 7 May 2025. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
8. ^ a b Hussain, Abid. "Inside Muridke: Did India hit a 'terror base' or a mosque?". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
9. ^ "Osama Bin Laden funded guesthouse at LeT HQ in Muridke, now destroyed by India - Osama Bin Laden funded guesthouse at LeT HQ in Muridke, now destroyed by India BusinessToday". Business Today. 7 May 2025. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
10. ^ "Operation Sindoor Terror Strikes: Kasab, Headley Trained at Muridke, Say Investigators". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
11. ^ Ellis-Petersen, Hannah; Baloch, Shah Meer; Hassan, Aakash (7 May 2025). "Pakistan decries 'act of war' as it retaliates against India missile attack". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
12. ^ "'It is odd': Foreign Secretary Misri refutes Pakistan's coffin claim of civilians being buried at Muridke funeral". The Week. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
13. ^ "Ground report from the site of air strikes in Pakistan's Muridke". www.bbc.com. 7 May 2025. Retrieved 9 May 2025.

31°48′07″N 74°15′18″E﻿ / ﻿31.802°N 74.255°E﻿ / 31.802; 74.255

* v
* t
* e

Populated places in Sheikhupura District

Tehsils|

* Ferozewala Tehsil
* Safdarabad Tehsil
* Sharak Pur Tehsil
* Sheikhupura Tehsil

Union councils|

* Jandiala Sher Khan
* Rachand

Cities and
towns|

* Ajnianwala
* Burj Attari
* Farooqabad
* Feroze Wattwan
* Ferozewala
* Ghullah Wattwan
* Kala Shah Kaku
* Khanqah Dogran
* Kot Abdul Malik
* Mananwala
* Muridke
* Nangal Sahdan
* Narang Mandi
* Safdarabad
* Sharaqpur
* Sheikhupura

Other populated
places|

* Chaura Rajputtan
* Ghazi Minara
* Herdaiv
* Jhalar Maharan
* Kalsian
* Kalsian Bhattian
* Kirto
* Kotwar
* Qila Sattar Shah

This article about a location in Sheikhupura District, Punjab, Pakistan is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

|

* v
* t
* e

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template