Daily Times

The death toll of devotees of the  famed Sufi sage  Lal Shahbaz Qalandar reached 15 on Thursday due to heatstroke in various parts of Sehwan city. However, Jamshoro DC disputes  both the death toll and cause.

Sarwar Shaikh, the person in-charge of the Edhi Centre in Sehwan, said the death toll of devotees of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar had reached 15 as heatstroke had persisted there for the last four days.

The names of the dead were identified as 26-year-old Javed, son of Shah Mohammad, resident of Lahore; 60-year-old Mohammad Zafar, son of Wahid Bux, resident of Multan, who died of heatstroke on Thursday, the second day of the annual urs celebrations.

Other victims include: Abdul Razzak, 49, a resident of Attock; 50-year-old Ghulam Mustafa, son of Malook, resident of Deparja; 60-year-old Zamir Shah, resident of Gujrat; 50-year-old Syed Qamar Ali Shah, son of Syed Murtaza Shah, resident of Dera Ismail Khan; Haji Khan, 42, resident of Khairpur Nathan Shah; Nawab Khatoon, 80, resident of Khairpur Mirs; 54-year-old Karam Shah, son of Bahadur Shah, resident of Sargodha. Karam Shah died on the first day of the Urs celebrations on Wednesday.

He added that 45-year-old Sajid Ali, son of Mushtaq Ali, resident of Faisalabad; 48-year-old Sakhawat Ali, son of Jalil Khan, resident of Shujaabad, Multan, died on Tuesday, the eve of urs celebrations.

He added further Mohammad Ali, 45, a resident of Ratodero; Meerzadi Khatoon,45, resident of Dadu city; Mohammad Aqil, 32, resident of Khanewal; 40-year-old Mohammad Siddiq, son of Liaquat Ali Panhwar, resident of Phulji Station died on Monday, two days before the urs celebrations began.

Meanwhile the Deputy Commissioner of Jamshoro and chairman of the Mela Committee Fareeduddin Mustafa has said that seven people had died in the last four days in Sehwan city. He said that they died in the evening or at night when no heatstroke was likely. He denied that anyone died of heatstroke.

The Mela Committee chief while  talking to journalists in Sehwan city after reported deaths of devotees and a press conference of sajadah nasheen of Qalandar’s dargah on Thursday  said that the Syed Abdullah Shah Institute of Health and Sciences was a big hospital and if any person had died of any diseases there, it could not be attributed to heatstroke.

He said the Edhi Ambulance report was not correct.