Punjabi Shaikh and Pakistani Sheikh or Shaikh ( ur, ) are a branch of the

Shaikhs in South Asia ''Shaikh'', also rendered as ''Sheikh'', ''Sheik'', ''Shaik'', ''Shaykh'', ''Shaikh'', ''Shekh'', ''Cheikh'', ''Šeih'', ''Šejh'', ''Şeyh'' and other variants (Arabic: , ''shaykh''; pl. ''shuyūkh''), is a title given to many South Asian Musli ...

. In Punjab, the title ''shaikh'' was given to recent converts to Islam and not to those of Arab descent as a polite euphemism. The Shaikh caste were originally agricultural and can be found in the

Faisalabad Faisalabad (; Punjabi/ ur, , ; ), formerly known as Lyallpur (Punjabi, Urdu: لائل پور), named after the founder of the city, but was renamed in 1977 in honour of late King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. It is the 3rd largest city of Pakis ...

Chiniot Chiniot (Urdu and pa, ) is a city and the administrative headquarter of Chiniot District in the province of Punjab, Pakistan. Located on the bank of the river Chenab, it is the 28th largest city of Pakistan. It is also known for its intric ...

and

Rawalpindi District Rawalpindi District (Punjabi and ur, ) is a district located in the northernmost part of the Punjab province of Pakistan. Parts of the district form part of the Islamabad Rawalpindi metropolitan area. Rawalpindi city is the district capita ...

regions of Punjab. However, in recent years, they have become urbanised and are involved in business and trade. The Punjabi Shaikh tribe are a wealthy but have a small population in the Punjab. Notable people include

Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad ( ur, ; born 6 November 1950) is a Pakistani politician who served as the 38th Interior Minister of Pakistan from 2020 to 2022. He is famous because of his smoking cigars and Laal Haveli. He is the founder and leader of A ...

, a Pakistani politician and a businessman.

Notable people with this surname

, a Pakistani politician and a businessman *

Javed Shaikh Jawed Sheikh (also spelled Javaid and Javed; born 8 October 1954) is a Pakistani actor, film director and producer who works in Lollywood and Bollywood. He is best known for working in the Hindi films ''Om Shanti Om'', '' My Name Is Anthony Gon ...

, a Pakistani actor and film director *

Saleem Sheikh Saleem Sheikh ( ur, ) (also spelled Saleem Shaikh) is a Pakistani film and television actor. He made his on-screen debut from PTV's ''Shama'' where he portrayed the younger version of Jawed Sheikh's character. He then appeared as child artist ...

, a Pakistani actor *

Shahnaz Sheikh Shahnaz Sheikh (born 21 March 1949) is a retired Pakistani field hockey player. He was born at Sialkot, Pakistan. He is related to Olympians Zahid Sheikh and Tariq Sheikh. In 2014, he was the head coach of Pakistan National Hockey Team. A ...

, a Pakistani field hockey player *

Shehnaz Sheikh Shehnaz Sheikh is a Pakistani television actress, host, and theatre director. She has appeared in the drama serials Tanhaiyaan and Ankahi, as well as the show Uncle Sargam. After her successful television career, she left the industry in the ...

, a Pakistani TV actress *

Farooq Sheikh Farooq Shaikh (25 March 1948 − 28 December 2013) was an Indian actor, philanthropist and television presenter. He was best known for his work in Hindi films from 1973 to 1993 and for his work in television between 1988 and 2002. He returned to ...

, an Indian film actor

References

{{Ethnic groups, tribes and clans of the Punjab Punjabi tribes Shaikh clans Social groups of Punjab, Pakistan

Notable people with this surname

See also

References