KARACHI: Amid tight security in and outside the tomb, thousands of devotees flocked to the Hazrat Abdullah Shah Ghazi shrine on the first day of his three-day urs on Tuesday.

The urs is celebrated from Zilhaj 20 to 22. On account of it, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and its subordinate offices will remain closed on Thursday.

The ninth-century Sufi saint, who is considered the saviour of the city from natural disasters, had made Sindh his abode and was laid to rest on a then secluded hilly area facing the Arabian Sea, now part of Clifton.

Provincial Minister for Information and Labour Nasir Shah inaugurated the 1,287th urs in the morning by laying a floral wreath at the tomb on behalf of the governor of Sindh.

Mr Shah paid rich tribute to the holy man, saying Sindh was the land of Sufis and holy men; they preached and spread the message of love, peace, harmony and brotherhood among human beings.

He said the Sindh government was committed to ensuring protection for all visitors at any cost.

“We have installed walk-through gates and CCTV cameras, and have posted security guards in good numbers to take care of safety,” the minister added.

He said security had been tightened to avoid any untoward incident at the shrine as it had occurred a few years back.

Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2017