SUKKUR: Sindh Minister for Culture, Heritage and Tourism, Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah, inaugurated the 203rd urs of great Sufi saint Sakhi Abdul Wahab Farooqi, lovingly called Sachal Sarmast by his devotees, in Daraza Sharif, Khairpur district, on Monday.

The minister along with custodian of the shrine, Khawaja Abdul Haq Farooqui, Sukkur Commissioner Fayaz Hussain Abbasi and Khairpur deputy commissioner Syed Ahmed Fawad Shah laid wreath on the saint’s grave and offered fatiha.

The minster said at the inauguration ceremony that he had the honour to open the urs celebrations at the behest of Sindh chief minister, who had to leave for Saudi Arabia to perform umrah.

He said that previous government of Pakistan Peoples Party had approved PC-1 of Rs300 million for the shrine’s renovation but the caretaker government put it on the backburner.

He said that the shrine’s custodian had discussed about it with the chief minister who had assured him of releasing fund for the shrine. The Sindh government would take more stringent measures to restore peace, law and order in the district, he said.

He assured that effective measures would be taken to recover abducted girl Priya Kumari and said the chief minister had made ministers as focal persons at divisional level to provide relief to common man during the holy month of Ramazan. “We are making efforts to facilitate people by ensuring they got food, vegetables and fruit at affordable prices,” he added.

A large number of devotees, who had come from different parts of the country as well as abroad thronged the shrine to pay homage to the saint as the urs celebrations had unofficially begun a day earlier with the shrine custodian laying a green chador on the grave.

The department of culture had set up different stalls on the occasion and organised literary sessions.

The minister also distributed Sachal Awards at a ceremony at Sama-mahfil Hall where the best singer award was given to Shahzad Kandharo, the best researcher went to Dr Sher Mehrani, the best Sufi singer award was conferred on Syed Wazir Ali Shah, the best activist award was handed to Ali Gul Mirani and the best Sughar award went to Mir Khan Bhambharo.

Published in Dawn, March 26th, 2024