Festivities to celebrate the 1,284th Urs of one of the most eminent saints of the sub-continent Syed Abdullah Shah Ghazi began on Saturday in Karachi.
Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad formally inaugurated the ceremony and offered Fateha along with other significant figures. The ceremony started with bathing of the holy tomb followed by laying floral wreaths and ‘chaddar’ or devotional cloth’ on the shrine.
Reception of more than half a million devotees is expected at the Urs. In order to ensure security of the people, the government has installed closed circuit cameras and walkthrough gates. The first day of the Urs witnessed a scholars’ conference and qawalis.
The shrine of Abdullah Shah stands as one of the major spiritual landscapes in Karachi that anticipates millions of followers, rich and poor alike, each year.