LAHORE, Oct 24: Around a million people from Pakistan and abroad thronged Raiwind, 35 kilometres from here, as the four-day annual ‘tableeghi ijtima’ (congregation) started on Thursday afternoon.

The first session was held after the sunset. Ulema urged the faithful to follow the principles of Islam in letter and spirit and propagate its message throughout the world. The session continued for three hours.

Four sessions will be held on Friday and Saturday after the prayers which will be addressed by the ulema from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. The last session will be held on Sunday after the morning prayers and the congregation will conclude on Sunday noon.

A huge tent has been put up in the 112-acre open place, five kms from the centre of tableeghi ijtima in Raiwind. It has been divided into 18 sectors, each accommodating people from two or three districts, while one sector each has been reserved for the people from Lahore and Karachi. Over 1,500 loudspeakers had been fitted and thousands of lights installed.

Elaborate arrangements have been made by the organizers helped by the students of various colleges and universities from Lahore, particularly the University of Engineering and Technology.