The 944th urs of Sakhi Sarwar ended on Sunday.
The urs celebrations begin on Rajab 21.
The event ended with distribution of 100 maunds of sweets, dry fruits and a traditional halwa that are considered mandatory for visiting devotees to take.
Rana Tariq, the Auqaf Department district manager, said that the department’s priority had bee providing effective security. He said check posts were set up on all routes leading to the shrine. A standby power generator was also provided at the shrine, he said.
Ashar Abbas, a visitor from Ahmed Pur Sial, told The Express Tribune that he was a regular visitor to the shrine and had never missed the urs. He said the security arrangements were poorer this year compared to the last year. He also complained of insufficient drinking water supply at the shrine.
He said some residents of the area had provided water to the pilgrims who stayed on the premises for three days.
Some visitors also complained about roadside encroachments. They said shopkeepers had grabbed the space on the roadsides, due to which pilgrims faced difficulty finding space to set up their tents. More than 20,000 devotees visited the three-day event.
Also known as Lakh Data, Sakhi Sarwar is revered by many orders of Muslim, Sikhs and Hindus. The Baisakhi mela around the water channel near the shrine has also been integrated with it.
Sakhi Sarwar is said to have migrated from Baghdad, Iraq, and settled in Shahkot near Multan in 1120 AD. He was martyred in 1181 AD.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 4th, 2013.