SAHIWAL: The provincial cabinet committee has decided to cancel the 10-day public celebrations of the upcoming 779th Urs of renowned Punjabi Sufi poet and saint Baba Fariduddin Ganjshakar at Pakpattan because of coronavirus’ fourth wave and alleged differences in the caretaker family.

As per sources, officials of the provincial Auqaf department, district administration and members of the Dewan (shrine’s caretaker) family were also consulted by the cabinet committee ahead of the saint’s Urs that starts from 1st of Muharram.

The sources, however, said it was decided that the Urs celebrations would still be held at a very limited level and no “commoners” would be allowed to participate.

“No local, national and international devotees would be allowed to enter the Darbar (shrine) premises from 1 to 10th of Muharram, except those especially invited by the Dewan’ family or district administration,” one of the committee members told Dawn.

Covid and ‘internal differences’ of caretaker family cited as the reasons

It was also decided that even the special guests would be allowed to enter Darbar premises after showing their Nadra corona vaccination certificate.

The Dewan family sources added that the ceremonial opening of the ‘Bahishti Darwaza’ (a door opening into the main chamber of the shrine) would also be limited to two nights, instead of traditional five nights.

A source said that the alleged differences between Dewan Madood Masood and his son Dewan Ahmed Madood Masood over the shrine’s Sajada Nasheeni (caretaker’s charge) was also one of the reasons for limiting the Urs celebrations. Both father and the son are at odds with each other over the issue and the district administration and Auqaf department wanted to avoid any incident during the Urs that could make the issue public, he added. He said it was because of this that many rituals of the Urs would be performed by the local administration instead of members of the Dewan family.

ARRESTED: Farid Town police claimed to have busted two crime gangs involved in motorcycle snatching in and around the city.

The police said they arrested five members of the two gangs, identified as Abdur Razaaq, Iqbal Saho, Abu Bakar, Ali Nawaz and Ramzan Khaterani and recovered 12 motorcycles and weapons from them.

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2021