HYDERABAD, May 25: Eid Milad-un-Nabi was observed with religious zeal and zest in the three talukas of Qasimabad, Latifabad and Hyderabad on Saturday.

Separate processions were taken out by different religious parties and groups from various areas of the three talukas.

The main procession was organized by the Anjuman Fidayan-i-Pakistan, Madina Masjid Seroghat. Da’awat-i-Islami held its big annual programme at Station Road at midnight.

Other processions were led by Markazi Jamat Ahl-i-Sunnat, Sunni Tehrik, Anjuman Ghulaman-i-Mustafa and Jamat Ahl-i-Sunnat (Barkati group). Muttahida Qaumi Movement and Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf had established their camps along Station Road, the main route of processions.

All the main areas, mosques and central and provincial buildings in the three talukas were illuminating with lights and buntings for the last three days and the entire city wore a festive look on Friday night when the festivities reached the peak. Special prayers were offered at all the mosques.

The main programme was held at Kohinoor Chowk on Saturday evening which was addressed by the City Taluka Nazim, Haji Moeenuddin Sheikh, Sindh president of JUP (Noorani group), Sahibzada Abdul Khair Muhammad Zubair, Qari Suleman Awan, Sharik Ather, vice president of Anjuman Naujawanan-i-Islam and others.

The event passed off by and large peacefully except for a friction between participants of two processions at Tilak Incline which was settled amicably.

Speakers at different rallies were of the view that the deviation from the teachings of Islam and the Holy Quran had divided the Ummah in different sects and groups.

They regretted that people were being killed in the name of language, religion and sect while terrorism had already earned a bad name for religious parties in the world.

The religious leaders said that the enemies of Islam were taking advantage of this situation and were out to create and widen the cracks among the Ummah. They called for the unity of the Ummah to fight against the enemies and fizzle out their nefarious designs.

They also vowed to forge unity among all the sects in the wake of threats from India and advised each and every Muslim to follow the teachings of the Holy Quran and the Prophet, Hazrat Mohammed (SA), the only way to reunite the Ummah as one and solid like a rock.

The leaders offered special prayers for the unity and integrity of Pakistan and safety and security of all the Muslims round the world.

The meeting adopted several resolutions demanding of the President Musharraf to enforce Nizam-i-Mustafa and ensure safeguards to Hudood Ordinance and Blasphemy laws. One of the resolutions condemned the government’s decision of omitting the Qadiyani column in the new NIC forms.