KARACHI: To observe the first anniversary of the bomb blast at Sehwan Sharif, Tehrik-i-Niswan, a culture action group, held a press conference at the Karachi Press Club on Friday.

The group members also announced their programme of visiting Sehwan the next day.

It was last year on Feb 16 that a suicide bombing took place at Sehwan killing some 90 devotees and injuring 250. On Saturday, 300 people coming from Hyderabad, Khairpur, etc, plan to gather there. The programme will include a langar, a baithak or kacheri, as it is called in Sindh, where the people can exchange their views, followed by a dhamal.

Sheema Kermani of Tehrik-i-Niswan said they were going to travel to the shrine of Lal Shahbaz to show solidarity with the devotees. “Places such as Sehwan are monuments of peace, tolerance, inter-faith harmony. They teach us to become human beings,” she said.

Human rights activist Tahira Abdullah also vowed not to spend the day quietly. “I have just returned from Lahore with a heavy heart after burying my leader Asma Jahangir. But I also must do this,” she said.

“Sindh was the land of love, respect and harmony. I don’t know how such terrorist attacks like that of Abbas Town are happening here. Let’s travel to Sehwan as a caravan in big numbers to show solidarity with the people there,” she added.

Scholar Pir Mudassir Shah, also present on the occasion, said that he was the progeny of faqirs and Sufis and that he wanted to go to Sehwan to let his tears flow freely. “We will not give up our commitment to our culture and tradition,” he said.

Answering a question regarding security arrangements at Sehwan for the event, Kaleem Durrani of Irtiqa, who would also be joining the team of travellers, said they only had expectations from their people, common folk just like them, and not from the government, whose job it was to provide security.

“The security you speak of is provided to VIPs,” said Tahira Abdullah. “There are no guarantees in life,” she added.

Published in Dawn, February 17th, 2018