776th anniversary: Urs of Bahauddin Zakariya concludes

Qureshi says Islam is a peaceful religion

MULTAN:

The 776th urs of Hazrat Bahauddin Zakariya concluded on Friday in Multan.

A sermon by Shah Mehmood Qureshi, the successor of the Sufi saint, drew the annual urs to a close. The event had kicked-off on Wednesday with the tomb of the saint being bathed in rosewater by Qureshi in the presence of scores of bureaucrats, politicians and religious leaders. A formidable number of devotees flock to the shrine every year on the occasion, especially from Sindh.

Addressing devotees at the National Zakariya Conference organised in connection with the urs, Qureshi said Sufi saints had always proliferated the message of brotherhood and peace. He said their teachings were as relevant today as they were centuries ago. Qureshi said adherents of all religions derived benefit from the teachings of Hazrat Zakariya.

He also shed light on the role of saints in spreading the message of Islam as a religion of peace the world over. Qureshi said the nation was at a critical juncture courtesy terrorism. He said miscreants had been attempting to sunder the believers along religious and ethnic lines.

Condemning the brazen terrorist attacks in Paris, he said Islam had no link with such acts of carnage. Qureshi said Islam inculcated the values of tolerance, harmony and brotherhood. He said the formidable responsibility of presenting the true message of Islam now rested on the shoulders of contemporary religious leaders.  Qureshi said religious scholars, intellectuals and rights organisations should work in tandem to eradicate terrorism. Qureshi said wars were waged over power during the times of Sufi saints but not in the name of religion. He said Sufi shrines were nodes of education where the importance of love and humanity were stressed. Qureshi said Sufism had no link with terrorism.  The custodian of the shrine also praised the efforts of religious scholar Siddique Khan Qadri who has been organising the event for four decades.

Foolproof security arrangements were made by district authorities on the occasion with additional police personnel securing Fort Qasim. Devotees were comprehensively frisked before being allowed to enter the complex. Entry of vehicles was proscribed at Fort Qasim and developments were monitored using CCTV cameras.  Camps were established by Auqaf and Railways to facilitate the devotees and by Civil Defence and Rescue-1122 to deal with any untoward situation. The Ministry for Population Welfare also established a camp on the occasion to raise awareness regarding planned parenthood where 770 children were also administered polio drops. A rally was also organised at Fort Munro to raise public awareness regarding the infectious disease. 200 patients were treated for free at a dispensary set up by the Auqaf Department for the urs. Separate entry and exit points were instituted at the venue.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 21^st, 2015.