Data Sahib Urs concludes with prayers for solidarity of Pakistan

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Pakistani Sufi followers gather at the Data Darbar complex which contains the shrine of Saint Syed Ali bin Osman Al-Hajvery, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh, during the three-day annual 'Urs' religious festival in Lahore on November 19, 2016. Data Ganj Bakhsh was a Persian Sufi and scholar during the 11th century. He was born in Ghazni, Afghanistan (990 AD) during the Ghaznavid Empire and settled and died in Lahore spreading Islam in South Asia. During the festival the shrine is lit with candles and lights, donated food is prepared for the people and Sufies dance around and musicians play music for hours. / AFP PHOTO / ARIF ALI

LAHORE: The 973th annual Urs of Hazrat Data Ganj Bakhsh concluded on Friday night, with prayers for the 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 3-day celebrations and prayed to Allah Almighty for His mercy.

Round-the-clock distribution of food (Langar), milk sabeels and other arrangements for devotees were important features of the Urs celebrations.

Data Darbar Manager Auqaf Zeeshan Naseem stated 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 event.

“We formed a comprehensive strategy, specified duties for everyone and decided what should be done and created an environment for coordination for successfully handling the event,” he said.

He said that Chadar laying, Qirrat of Holy Quran, international conference, Mahfil-e-Sama, and various other activities were also part of the Urs celebrations. He stated that 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 was 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.