Raiwind (Punjabi & ) is a town (now promoted to Tehsil Head Quarter) located within union council 149 (Dholanwal) in Allama Iqbal Town of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The town serves as the headquarters of Tablighi Jamaat and hosts the annual Raiwind Markaz Ijtema. Raiwind is also home to Pakistan Railways Junction and Railways Track Workshop and serves as the political base for former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. History During the British Raj, Raiwind was a tehsil of Lahore District. The town also became notable when a junction was built by the North Western State Railway between the Karachi–Peshawar Railway Line and Lodhran–Raiwind Branch Line. Before the Ferozepore-Bhatinda Railway opened, it was an important centre of the local trade in agricultural produce and had two cotton-ginning factories and a cotton-press, which employed around 203 people. Following independence in 1947, the railway links eastwards were no longer functional. Ch. Said Rasool was appointed as the Zaildar (District Administrator) of Raiwind. Population The population according to the 1901 census was 1764. Today, it is over 150,0000. Annual Tablighi Ijtema Every year a Muslim religious convention is held here. An annual gathering of followers in Pakistan, the ijtema, is held at Raiwind Markaz. A typical ijtema starts on a Thursday afternoon and continues for the next three days and ends with an exceptionally long prayer. These gatherings are considered moments of intense blessings by Tabligh Jamaat members and are known to attract members in excess of 2 million in Pakistan. The last day of Ijtema may often see several million people, including devoted celebrities, political and administrative brass of Pakistan. The Pakistani Ijtema is the largest of annual Tablighi Ijtemas after Bangladesh. In 2011 Pakistan divided the Ijtema into two parts and total 1 million People attended each of the two Ijtema. This gathering lasts for 3 days and then groups of 10 to 15 people in a "Jamaat" (Muslim Group) are made to go around the world to preach the message of Allah. Hundreds of thousands of people attend this religious gathering yearly. Presently the Ameer (principal) of Raiwind Center is Maulana Nazar-ur-Rehman.Since 2007, this congregation has been held semiannually in Pakistan. A few Muslim scholars come from India, and the majority comes from Pakistan. The central theme of the sermons of Ulema is that the success in this life and the hereafter lies in the commandments of Allah and ways of Muhammad.