HYDERABAD / DADU: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah showered rose petals and laid a floral chadar on the grave of great Sufi Saint Lal Shahbaz Qalandar on Monday, declaring an end to his 774th Urs which, according to the CM, was attended by around three million people.
The chief minister was accompanying Minister for Auqaf Syed Riaz Hussain Shah Shirazi, Minister for Culture Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah, Hyderabad Commissioner Fayyaz Hussain Abbasi, DIG Tariq Razzaq Dharejo, PPP Jamshoro President Syed Asif Ali Shah and other officials and party leaders.
Speaking to the media personnel and people present at the shrine, CM Shah said that security threats had emerged following the recent incident of suicide bombing in an Imambargah in Islamabad.
In the wake of the terror attack, the administration had made stringent security arrangements in and around the shrine to ensure peace during the Urs proceedings and for the safety and security of devotees, visitors and other people.
CM Murad says shrine visited by around three million people, regrets inconvenience caused by strict security arrangements made in wake of Islamabad terror attack
He admitted that the strict security arrangement might have caused inconvenience to devotees and other visitors, but this was essentially required in view of present situation. He expressed satisfaction over the arrangements and said that any shortcomings that might have been witnessed, would be overcome before the next Urs.
Estimating that around three million people attended the three-day Urs, the CM said that with increasing number of devotees every year, there appeared greater need for improving the arrangements and making them more effective in future.
Price control
In reply to a question from journalists, the chief minister agreed that a price hike during the holy month of Ramazan was likely to be resorted to. He regretted that such a trend was contrary to the practices in other countries, where prices used to be reduced on such religious occasions. “In view of this, a strategy has been chalked out to effectively control prices, especially those of wheat and flour,” he said.
Answering a question about recent incidents of alleged extrajudicial killings, CM Shah said that a judicial inquiry had been ordered in certain case. He said that such acts would not be tolerated under any pretext.
In reply to another question, the chief minister said that the Pakistan Peoples Party government had always raised its voice for the rights of journalists. In the same breath, he said: “But journalists must adhere to professional ethics”.
CM Shah told the media that a nursing school was being established in Sehwan and a vocational training programme was also being organised.
He said that employment opportunities for youth could not be created unless they were first equipped with skills.
Wheat procurement
The chief minister said that the Sindh government had urged the federal government to purchase one million tonnes of wheat for which a uniform policy had been made. “Strict measures are being taken to check corruption and, in this regard, several officials had recently been sacked,” he pointed out.
At the end of the concluding ceremony, Minister for Auqaf Syed Riaz Hussain Shah Shirazi presented Sindhi Ajrak and Cap to the CM. Jamshoro Deputy Commissioner Ghazanfar Ali Qadri presented him a commemorative shield.
Later, CM Shah visited a medical camp which was set up in the shrine’s courtyard.
Published in Dawn, February 10th, 2026