The urs of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai is held every year with great enthusiasm during which devotees from all over the country reach his shrine in Bhitshah. Despite millions of rupees spent on the preparations of the festival each year, attendance has been steadily declining in recent years, and the reason, according to the locals, is the VIP protocol of the politicians attending the event.

Road blockades and shop closures due to VIP movement are negatively impacting the businesses of thousands of daily-wage earners of the deprived town where half the population earns its bread through visitors to the shrine, especially during urs. The locals are denied access to even their own homes for hours whenever a VIP convoy has to pass. Shopkeepers suffer and devotees end up having a poor experience.

A few minutes of political rhetoric by politicians on the shrine’s premises cost thousands of devotees and local residents their precious time, money and energy. If the government sincerely wants to preserve this centuries-old festival, its politicians must give up their lavish colonial-era VIP protocols. The people should not suffer in the name of ‘security’ for politicians.

Mujtaba Aftab
Bhitshah

Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2026