HYDERABAD: The 282nd Urs of revered sufi poet Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai was inaugurated at his shrine in Bhit Shah on Saturday by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, who laid a floral chaddar and offered fateha to kick off the three-day celebration.

Governor Kundi and Sindh Culture Minister Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah attended the ceremony as guests of honour.

The minister thanked Governor Kundi for joining the inaugural ceremony.

He highlighted Bhitai’s advocacy for women’s rights and his message of peace and brotherhood to unite all segments of society.

He announced that Chief Minister of Balochistan Sarfaraz Bugti would attend the ceremonies and events to be held here on the second day of the Urs. He noted that observance of the Urs during the ongoing Independence Day celebrations has special significance.

Governor Kundi thanked the Sindh government and culture department for the invitation and praised Sindh’s hospitality and rich cultural legacy.

He said that the propagation of messages of peace and love in the verses of Bhitai and Rahman Baba was of utmost importance. He pledged his support for similar cultural collaborations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He said such literary and cultural gatherings would help promote tolerance, pluralism and unity.

Zulfiqar Ali Shah welcomed Governor Kundi’s visit and said it reflected his affection for Sindh and reverence for Shah Bhitai.

He stressed that the saint’s message of brotherhood and peace was particularly relevant in a situation where the country is confronted with extremism. Provinces’ joint cultural initiatives could greatly help spread the saint’s message of harmony, he added.

Governor Kundi keenly listened Bhitai’s devotional songs at a mystic music session.

He also distributed clothes and gifts among the needy. Besides, he inaugurated a ‘cultural village’ at Shah Jo Bagh and inspected various handicraft stalls set up there. The governor also attended a folk music programme in the cultural village and visited the HT Sorley Hall, Bhitshah. Matiari Deputy Comm­issioner Yusuf Shaikh, SSP Ijaz Memon and other officials accompanied him.

At a special programme titled ‘Sugharan Ji Kachehri’, also held in the HT Sorley Hall, sufi artists rendered verses of Shah Bhitai. Scholars and intellectuals discussed the saint’s poetry and message.

Speaking to the media during his visit, Governor Kundi said that Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif successfully advocated Pakistan’s Kashmir case before world and diplomatically isolated India.

Referring to the ongoing spate of terrorism in the country, the governor called for coordinated action by security forces, police and public to eradicate the menace, and said the state must punish anti-state elements.

Bilawal pays tribute to Bhitai

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari paid glowing tribute to the revered sufi saint and legendary poet of Sindh, Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, on the occasion of his 282nd Urs. Bilawal called the saint as ‘a timeless beacon of love, peace, tolerance, and spiritual resistance’, according to the press release issued by the media cell at Bilawal House.

In his message, the PPP chairman said that “Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai’s poetry is not just literature, it is a soulful guide that speaks to the conscience of humanity”.

“Shah Latif’s message is a call to heal — to build a society rooted in compassion, equality, and respect for all faiths and peoples,” he added.

Bilawal reaffirmed his party’s commitment to the ideals of Shah Bhitai, saying: “PPP has always drawn inspiration from Shah Latif’s vision of an inclusive and just society, where all people — regardless of caste, creed, or class — are treated with dignity”.

He urged the nation, especially the youth, to rediscover and live by the values of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai. “In the melodies of his verses lie the blueprints for peace and progress — let us listen, learn, and lead with love,” he said.

Published in Dawn, August 10th, 2025