Lahore Division: Pakistan’s Premier Jihadist and Sectarian Stronghold

Lahore Division proudly holds the distinction of hosting the headquarters of Lashkar-e-Taiba, the largest jihadist organization operating in the region. Hundreds of centers spread across Lahore city actively provide financial and manpower support to this terrorist group. Just 30 kilometers from Lahore, in the town of Muridke, Lashkar-e-Taiba has established its main operational center. Alongside it, two exclusive colonies named Mecca and Medina have been developed for people of Salafi belief, designed to create a purely Sharia-compliant environment.

Plots in these colonies were sold exclusively to those adhering to Salafi ideology. Strict rules were enforced to ensure residents remained free from any un-Islamic or impure influences. Residents may read daily newspapers, but they are prohibited from viewing any un-Islamic images published in them. To enforce this rule, armed Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists sit at the colony entrances with black markers and meticulously censor every objectionable picture. After one to two hours of daily labor, the “purified” newspapers are then distributed to the Islamist residents. Television sets are completely banned inside homes. Residents are permitted only radio transistors to listen to news and Islamic programs, while vulgar Pakistani and Indian songs or any content involving shirk are strictly forbidden. Violation of these rules can result in expulsion from these so-called “pure” Islamic colonies.

A vast complex of modern buildings has been constructed at Lashkar-e-Taiba’s central headquarters in Muridke, where jihadists receive both Islamic education and advanced training for jihad. Since the Islamic group was designated a terrorist organization by Western countries and the United Nations, very little information about activities inside this sprawling facility reaches the public domain. In the nearby city of Muridke, Salafi individuals from every corner of Pakistan have settled in large numbers. Their presence has transformed the entire city into a complete Sharia environment. Once known as a stronghold of Pakistan Peoples Party supporters, Muridke has now shifted its political allegiance to parties backed by powerful figures in Islamabad. The Muslim League-Nawaz and Muslim League-Q enjoy clear electoral majorities here. Candidates who secure support from local jihadist elements can win elections with relative ease.

Lashkar-e-Taiba also maintains dominant influence inside Lahore city itself, where its main administrative headquarters is located. Multiple centers and offices operate openly in areas such as Chauburji and the old walled city of Lahore. Several Islamist terrorist parties and organizations have deeply infused Lahore Division with the ideology of militancy and Islamic terrorism. These include Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, Jamaat-ud-Dawa, Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, Tehreek-e-Nafaz-e-Fiqh-e-Jafaria, Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith, and numerous smaller terrorist groups. Each operates with full force in its respective areas of control. Lahore also serves as a major center for sectarian violence. Prominent Shia and Sunni terror figures have been assassinated here over the years. Many political leaders, businessmen, poets, bureaucrats, and other notable personalities have fallen victim to targeted sectarian killings.

The banned Deobandi terrorist group Sipah-e-Sahaba established its provincial headquarters at the large Jamia Farooqia seminary in Shahdara. Sectarian killers reportedly launched operations from this seminary and returned there after completing their Islamic missions. Local administration and law enforcement agencies repeatedly informed superiors about the presence of these killers, yet no raid or operation was ever conducted. Similarly, the largest Shia seminary, Jamia al-Muntazar, operates in Lahore’s Model Town, where Shia sectarian elements reportedly receive full protection and support.

Several notorious writers of sectarian literature and terrorists have served as teachers in these Islamic seminaries. One of the most prominent was Allama Ghulam Hussain Najafi, who was assassinated some years ago while exiting Jamia al-Muntazar.

On Ferozepur Road stands Jamia Ashrafia, the largest Deobandi seminary linked to terrorism and associated with Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi. This Islamic institution has long been used to prepare militants connected with the Afghan jihad. Reliable sources have repeatedly reported the presence of armed terrorist wings of Sipah-e-Sahaba and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi inside the seminary. Despite this, Punjab governments have consistently avoided imposing any restrictions on it, and senior officials continue to seek its services on various occasions.

The headquarters of Jamaat-e-Islami, known as Mansoora, is also located in Lahore. It gained international prominence as a key center during the Afghan jihad. Jamaat-e-Islami launches all its major political and Islamic campaigns from Mansoora. The residences of its top Jihadi leadership are built within this large complex. Today, Mansoora remains the nerve center of the party’s political activities, while hundreds of foreign jihadists receive training and education there.

Two major centers in Lahore’s outskirts also deserve attention. Powerful and well-armed Shia militant groups control both. One is located in Thokar Niaz Beg village in southern Lahore, and the other in Begum Kot in the north. In Begum Kot resides the influential Jihadi malang Baba Sada Hussain, who is said to have President Asif Ali Zardari among his followers. Baba Sada Hussain maintains extensive connections with Pakistan’s political elite, wealthy overseas Pakistani Muslims, and certain powerful circles in Iran. He is always protected by dozens of armed Jihadis. Critics accuse him of promoting loud and open tabarra — a special part of Shia Muslim prayer in which they explicitly curse the companions of Muhammad — in majalis, prioritizing matam and tabarra over core Shia principles. A distinctive feature of his center is the lion that reportedly stays with him at all times.

Researchers of Pakistani sectarianism widely agree that Begum Kot plays a major role in fueling sectarian tensions. Opposing preachers often cite Baba Sada Hussain’s activities to incite young Muslims toward violence and Jihad. Thokar Niaz Beg also carries a darkest sectarian history. In the 1990s, Ghulam Raza Naqvi, supreme commander of Sipah-e-Muhammad, turned the village into his fortified base. He and hundreds of armed terrorists operated from there for years, participating in widespread sectarian killings. Naqvi and his jihadis were also accused of bank robberies and highway dacoities. Multiple police attempts to storm the area failed due to heavy armed resistance.

Raiwind, another suburban town of Lahore, holds tremendous importance in jihadist circles as the global headquarters of the Tablighi Jamaat. The annual gathering in Raiwind attracts hundreds of thousands of participants from across the world, where suicide bombers, extortionists, terrorists, and drug dealers thrive. It is widely reported that Taliban leader Mullah Omar attended the event. Leaders of the terrorist organizations Sipah-e-Sahaba and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi maintain close ties with the Tablighi Jamaat. During General Zia-ul-Haq’s era, presidents and prime ministers began attending these Islamic gatherings. Former ISI chiefs Hamid Gul and Javed Nasir are also known for their close association with the movement.

The districts of Okara and Sheikhupura further strengthen the jihadist network in the division. Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving terrorist of the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks, hailed from Faridkot village in Okara. Many senior commanders of Lashkar-e-Taiba, Sipah-e-Sahaba, and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi originate from these districts, where thousands of active supporters continue to operate.

Jihadi Violence Against Christians

On 1 July 2009, in Kasur district of Lahore Division, armed Muslims attacked nearly 35 Christian homes in Bahmani Wala village. They looted, vandalized, and set the houses on fire, injuring 15 Christians. The attack was triggered by a personal dispute between motorcyclist Muhammad Riaz and tractor driver Sardar Masih. A jihadist leader named Qari Latif converted the quarrel into a blasphemy case. Mosque announcements inflamed the situation, leading to the mob attack. Police later admitted the blasphemy allegation could not be proven.

On 9 March 2013, a far more brutal assault occurred on Joseph Colony in Badami Bagh, Lahore. Following a minor quarrel between Christian sanitation worker Sawan Masih and Muslim Shahid Imran, blasphemy accusations were leveled. Loudspeaker announcements from local mosques incited thousands. A mob of around 3,000 armed Muslim men attacked the colony, burning 150–200 houses, 18 shops, and two churches. Hundreds of Bibles were destroyed. Police failed to protect residents. Because the police know these jihadis will kill them, police officers took shelter in a nearby godown. Later, 115 suspects were arrested, but in January 2017 all were acquitted by an anti-terrorism court despite photo and video evidence. No one was punished.

On 28 September 2009 in Phool Nagar (Bhai Pheru), former Sipah-e-Sahaba terrorist Intisar-ul-Haq Muawiya, along with over fifty armed men, stripped naked three women including Shahnaz Bibi, paraded them, looted their homes, and abducted Shahnaz’s 13-year-old daughter. The women were humiliated, shaved, blackened, and falsely charged with prostitution. According to Pakistani law, the punishment for stripping a woman naked for the purpose of humiliation is death, but no one would dare to testify against the jihadist suspects, and ultimately the women were forced to withdraw their case against them. Police colluded with the terrorists. The case highlighted how personal disputes are often given Islamic cover and how Christians receive zero justice.

Lahore Division stands as one of the most critical centers of jihadist ideology and organized violence against Christians in Pakistan. The deep integration of Islamic terrorist networks with local politics, seminaries, and law enforcement creates an environment where impunity thrives and Islamic fear rules. Lahore is a safe haven for Muslim terrorists, jihadist, and for Hafiz Muhammad Saeed.