Daily Times

The closing ceremony of the 275th Urs of Great Sufi poet Hazrat Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai ended at the venue on the third day of the ceremony on Friday. “Sindh is the place of Saints where there is love, peace, sincerity and devotion”, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said on the occasion.

In reply to a question, Shah threw light on the water shortage issue in Bhit Shah and other parts of the province, saying that the government was working on projects to do deal with the issue. “We are fading the appropriate place to build the Sufi University at Bhit” he stated.

The Urs celebrations were held from October 24 to 26 in the Bhit Shah town of the Matiari district. Sindh Governor Imran Ismail and other provincial ministers, also attended the celebrations and paid tribute to the Sufi Poet

Auqaf Minister Faraz Dero, with the governor, formally inaugurated the three-day festival by laying a chaddar and offering Fateha at Bhittai’s shrine.

During the visit, the governor said that he wished to see this town turn into a place of spirituality and tourism, attracting individuals from all across the country, as well as abroad for spiritual awakening.

The governor evaded a question when asked about his security protocol due to which the shrine was closed for entry to the public.

Education and Culture Minister Sardar Ali Shah separately visited the shrine with Livestock and Fisheries Minister Abdul Bari Pitafi. Sardar Ali Shah said that Bhittai’s poetry has won admiration from the world, pointing out that a stanza of his poetry is inscribed on the wall of the United Nations General Assembly’s hall. “It manifests that Bhittai has been recognised as a global poet and that his message stands for promoting peace and harmony in the world.”

On the same day, the Sufi Foundation presented an award to author and researcher Dr Kamal Jamro for his research work and writings in relation to Sufism.

Dr Jamro is also the head of Sindhi Department at Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology (FUUAST). He has written 40 books, 10 of them on Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai.

The Sindh Government has also recommended Dr Jamro’s name for the Pride of Performance award to the federal government.

Thousands of also devotees visited the shrine and it is expected that the number will increase on the third day.

Published in Daily Times, October 28^th 2018.