Lal Shahbaz Qalandar’s urs concludes

The 771st urs of Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar (RA) concluded on Monday with Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah in attendance at the concluding ceremony in Sehwan, Jamshoro district.

According to the district administration, more than 2.5 million people visited the small town located along the Indus Highway around 150 kilometres off Hyderabad and in close proximity to the Manchar lake during the three-day urs.

On the last day of the urs, the CM appreciated the district administration and the police for organising the activities during the event and providing security to the devotees. "I have come here to pay a visit to the shrine and to pray," Murad said.

Speaking to the media, the CM stated that the provincial government had conveyed concerns about defective tablets and other shortcomings in the ongoing digital population census. "We have demanded that the census teams share a copy of the form with the concerned family whose members are being counted so that they know what the team is registering," the CM apprised. He added, "We have also asked the government to share the data with the deputy commissioners as well."

He believed that the DCs can identify any mistakes occurring in the house and head counting.

When asked about criticism over the government's alleged indifference to the rain and flood-hit farmers, the CM claimed that his government had helped farmers cultivate crops on their submerged lands again, while citing wheat cultivation as an example.

He added that such efforts had been recognized by donors. However, he cautioned that another successive year of torrential monsoon downpour will entail far larger losses for the province.

Literary conference

At a literary conference held during the urs, University of Sindh's Professor Makhmoor Bukhari highlighted that references to Qalandar, also known as the red saint, have been found in some history books written in Persian language, which can be translated into Pakistani languages.

"According to one of the references, Ibn-e-Batuta visited Sehwan in 1325 AD. During that visit, he met a man named Baghdadi who was 143 years old. That man had associated himself with Qalandar." He underlined the need for empirical research on the saint's poetry.

Dr Sakeena Samo, in her research paper, stated that many descendants of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) settled in Sindh due to atrocities committed by the rulers of Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties and also to spread the message of Islam.

Khair Muhammad Buriro said the lineage of Qalandar starts from Hazrat Imam Zainul-Abideen (AS), son of Imam Hussain (AS).

Anwar Saagar Kandhro highlighted that there was a shortage of authentic references about Qalandar, necessitating academic research. Nazeer Sehwani, Mukhtiar Malik, Madad Ali Sindhi, Mir Hajn Mir, and others also spoke and read out their research papers on the occasion.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 14^th, 2023.