Urs cancelled due to fear of war

Published January 13, 2002

MUZAFFARABAD, Jan 12: AJK Auqaf Department, in consultation with the district administration, has postponed the Urs of a renowned saint for fear of air raids by India.

“The week-long annual celebrations to mark the Urs of Hazrat Sain Saheli Sarkar have been postponed due to the prevailing situation along the borders,” Auqaf Director Raja Khalid Niaz said in a statement on Saturday.

The shrine of Sain Saheli Sarkar, died in early 20th century, is located beside the main road in the Azad Kashmir capital.

Temporary shops and stalls emerge on both sides of the road much before the official beginning of the Urs on Jan 13.

The celebrations are attended by tens of thousands of devotees from all over Azad Kashmir and the adjoining Punjab and the NWFP.

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