LAHORE, Pakistan: The 973th annual Urs of Hazrat Data Ganj Bakhsh concluded in Lahore on Friday night, with prayers for solidarity of Pakistan and welfare of Muslim Ummah.
A large number of devotees from all over the country and various parts of other countries attended the three-day celebrations and prayed to Allah Almighty for His mercy.
Round-the-clock distribution of food (Langar), milk sabeels and other arrangements and facilities for hundreds of thousands of devotees were important features of the Urs celebrations.
The Manager Auqaf Data Darbar Zeeshan Naseem told the state-run news agency that the district administration, police, Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) Rescue-1122, civil defence, bomb disposal squad, Municipal Corporation and various other departments worked hand-in-hand to organise the big event.
“We formed a comprehensive strategy, specified duties for everyone and decided what everyone should have to do and create an environment for coordination for successfully handling the event,” he said.
Zeeshan said that Chador laying, Qirrat of Holy Quran, two-day long international conference, Mehfil-e-Sama, and various other activities were also part of the Urs celebrations.
The Manager Auqaf Data Darbar said that besides comprehensive security arrangements, medical camps, ambulance services and other facilities were also provided at the Darbar.
Ulema and scholars highlighted philosophy of Sufism and appreciated the role of spiritual personalities like Hazrat Ali Hajveri for spreading Islam and message of peace and love in the region.
Among devotees from other countries were a delegation from Afghanistan, led by a spiritual personality Pir Syed Waheed-Ullah Ghaznavi commonly known as Sardar Agha. Others included in the delegation were Sheikh-ul Hadith Maulana Arif, Qari Farhad and Shahzad.
They prayed for peace and stability in the region and said that Data Darbar is a place of common respect for devotees in the region.
The delegation appreciated the hospitality they got in Pakistan and prayed for peace and stability in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
