HYDERABAD, Feb 09 (APP): The 3-day urs of Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar (RA) concluded on Monday in Sehwan, Jamshoro district, with around 3 million devotees visiting the small town to pay their tributes to the saint on his 774th urs.
The Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah officially closed the urs celebrations in Sehwan after offering fateha at the shrine of Qalandar (RA).Talking to media on the occasion, the CM said he was fortunate to attend the concluding ceremony of the Urs, and to pray for peace and prosperity in the country.”Security threats had emerged following a terrorism incident in Islamabad occurring a couple of days before the urs,” he observed.
However, he felt relieved that stringent security arrangements in Sehwan helped the mega festival in the small town to complete safely.Shah acknowledged that those measures might have caused inconvenience to devotees but their safety was given utmost priority by the government.
He expressed satisfaction over the range of arrangements made for the urs and assured that any shortcomings would be addressed in the future.
He claimed that around 3 million devotees had attended the urs as the number kept increasing every year.
Responding to a question about price control of edible items during the upcoming holy month of Ramazan, he said the government was going to adopt a better strategy to control the prices of wheat and flour.The CM disclosed that the provincial government had requested the federal government to purchase one million tons of wheat, for which a uniform policy had been issued.
When asked to comment on the allegations of extrajudicial killings by the police, he said a judicial inquiry had been ordered and such incidents could not be tolerated under any circumstances. He added that the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP’s) government had always raised its voice for journalists’ rights, but journalists should also adhere to professional ethics.
Highlighting development works in Sehwan Sharif, he said that a nursing school was being established and a vocational training program was being arranged as well. Shah emphasized that employment opportunities for youth could not be created without equipping them with skills.
He added that strict measures were being taken against corruption and several individuals had been removed from service.
Provincial Minister for Auqaf Syed Riaz Hussain Shah Shirazi, Provincial Minister for Culture Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah, Commissioner Hyderabad Fayyaz Hussain Abbasi, DIG Hyderabad Tariq Razzaq Dharejo and other officers were present on the occasion.
Earlier, Shirazi presented the CM with a gift of Sindhi Ajrak and cap. Shah also visited a medical camp established in the courtyard of the shrine and distributed clothes among poor women.
CM Sindh performs closing ceremony of Qalandar urs
