The centuries old traditional Urs, which stopped after the 2005 attacks that claimed 20 lives and injured dozens, will not be happening this year again.
The current year is the seventh consecutive year for the devotees and followers of Bari Imam who would not celebrate the Urs .
Unfortunately, like the previous seven years this year again would not witness the centuries old uninterrupted Urs due to security reasons, according to police officials and the Auqaf manager stationed at the shrine. A police official from the secretariat station told Pakistan Today that based on different intelligence assumptions it was decided that the Urs would not take place.
However, it was strange that when the same question posed to DIG Azam Taimuri he replied that he did not know either the Urs was cancelled or not.
Local residents are not happy with the move. A resident who run a garland shop at Bari Imam said that the cancellation of Urs was ridiculous. He said that two days ago it was cited in most of the national daily papers that Bari Imam Urs would be held on May 28, 2015. It was also confirmed by the administration that all arrangements had been finalised and this was further reviewed by Chief Commissioner Islamabad Zulfiqar Haider Khan in a meeting which was attended by member of district administration, Islamabad Police, Traffic Police, CDA, IESCO, AUQAF department and health department. The chief commissioner had also instructed the particular institutions to make fool proof arrangements and facilities for the people coming to attend the event. He asked what had happened suddenly to all of these arrangements.
Another local resident Raja Zameer Haider told Pakistan Today that the security concerns for Bari Imam Urs are just excuses. He questioned, “If the government could hold a procession for Chehlum of Hazrat Imam Hussain, or safely conduct the sit-ins of PTI and PAT, then why not Urs of Bari Imam?”
The shopkeepers who sell toys, sweets and garlands and who are experts in cooking rice in cauldron for charity have also showed their resentment because their livelihood and economic well being is deeply embedded with the shrine.
