DERA GHAZI KHAN, June 7: The festivities have begun in Kot Mithan Sharif (Shehr-i-Farid) with Ghusal and Chadar-laying ceremonies on the eve of Hazrat Khwaja Ghulam Farid’s Urs.

Three groups are celebrating the event separately due to differences among the offspring of the renowned saint of Chishtia Sufi. They include two rival groups in the family and the Ministry of Auqaf.

It has been 102 years since Hazrat Ghulam Farid passed away, but the place is still deprived of basic facilities despite the fact that the Auqaf earns millions from the shrine. Devotees have been complaining that their donations are not spent on the development of shrines. For instance, the religious institute and dispensary at the place are not functioning. The Auqaf does not even make adequate arrangements for the Urs.

Local social activist Mehmood Nizami said while talking to Dawn that the centralized financial system of Auqaf should be decentralized and the income of shrine spent on the area around it.