Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar on Sunday inaugurated the Urs celebrations of Data Ganj Bakhsh by laying traditional chadar on the saint's grave in Lahore.

The celebrations of the 975th Urs of Hazrat Ali Bin Usman Al-Hajveri will take place over three days.

Speaking to the gathering, Justice Nisar said that all Sufi saints spread the same message, which is to follow Islam in letter and spirit, "to provide relief for humanity and to love one's land".

He added: "There are many problems in this country that need to be fixed [...] today after a long time, I feel like we [Pakistan] is about to take off [in the right direction]."

The chief justice also reminded people to contribute in the ongoing fund collection drive to build dams in the country.

"This is to secure the future of our posterity. This is vital for us; without dams, this country will face a lot of problems," he said, adding that many notable people had contributed to the fund silently "as they were not looking for fame while doing it".