SIALKOT: The three-day annual festival celebrations of Baba Chaambliyaanwala Sarkar began on Thursday at far-off bordering village Tulsipur-Charwah near Zero Point of Sialkot Working Boundary.

A ceremony was held at “no man’s land” where senior officials of the Chenab Rangers presided over the ceremony.

Later, the participants handed over a wreath to the officials of Indian Border Security Forces (BSF) who placed it on the grave of the saint in the Ramgarh sector in Samba district of India.

Thousands of the people thronged Charwah village, some 43 kilometres from the Sialkot city, to participate in the annual mela.

Devotees from either side of the border participate in the fairs held in Pakistan and India.

According to senior officials of the Chenab Rangers, 320-year-old ‘Chamliyal Mela’ has been a very popular tradition since November, 2003, after border forces commit a ceasefire for the fair.

The Chenab Rangers distribute ‘Shakkar’ and ‘Sharbat’ among the Pakistani visitors which is provided to them by the Border Security Forces.

Before the Indo-Pak war in 1971, Pakistanis were allowed to visit the shrine in India, and now only the Chenab Rangers are allowed to participate in the festival.

“Border has divided the land in two parts but the blessings of Baba Chamliyal still enable us to see each other,” said Muhammad Asif, a resident of the Sialkot city.

He said that no one wanted borders between the humanity but circumstances put us on this side of border.

The families of both police and civil officials were seen visiting the site in their official vehicles while scores of people were walking to the border.

“I came on foot here from Oora Chowk of Sialkot with my family,” Muhammad Ishaq said, adding coming to the shrine on foot was his sign of respect for the saint.

The people said the fair was a living testimony of Hindu-Muslim ties that has survived the scars of Partition.

According to oral history accounts, the Baba was beheaded by some folks who did not like his growing influence in the village.

His head landed in this village through his spiritual power where his disciples built a tomb in his memory.

DROWNS: A minor girl is feared drowned in Bambaanwala-Ravi-Baidian (BRB) Canal near Sodagarpur village of Pasrur tehsil.

According to Rescue 1122, wife of a farmer, Muhammad Shabbir, was washing clothes on the canal bank while his six-year-old daughter Iqra was playing there.

Suddenly, the girl fell into the canal and disappeared in its fast currents. Rescuers were searching for her till the filing of the report at 8pm.

Published in Dawn June 26th, 2015

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