By Riaz Narijo
SEHWAN: The three-day official celebrations marking the 774th annual urs of Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar formally began after the provincial minister for auqaf, Syed Riaz Hussain Shah Shirazi, offered prayers and laid a ceremonial Chadar at the shrine.
Senior civil and police officials accompanied him at the opening ceremony, including Hyderabad divisional commissioner Fayyaz Hussain Abbasi, DIG Tariq Razaq Dharejo, Jamshoro deputy commissioner Ghazanfar Ali Qadri, chief administrator auqaf Mukhtiar Ali Abro, SSP Jamshoro Muhammad Zafar Chhanga and chairman of the Sehwan municipal committee Syed Shahzad Haider Shah.
Speaking to the media, Shirazi said Sindh had long been the land of Sufis and saints, where messages of peace, love and brotherhood had always been promoted. He said that in the present climate there was an urgent need to spread the teachings of Sufi saints to counter terrorism, intolerance and extremism.
He said the urs of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar was the largest in the country and that around three million devotees were expected to visit Sehwan this year, compared with about 2.8 million last year. He said comprehensive arrangements had been made to provide maximum facilities to pilgrims.
The minister said development work was under way in Sehwan and that additional schemes would be included in the next annual development program to further improve infrastructure and public facilities. He also strongly condemned the bomb blast in Islamabad, expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives and said the government and security agencies were continuing efforts to eliminate terrorism.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, the Jamshoro deputy commissioner presented the provincial minister with the Shahbaz Memorial Shield. The minister also distributed clothes and gifts among deserving women at the shrine. In line with urs traditions, a public holiday was observed across the district.
On the first day of the urs, official events included the traditional Sindhi wrestling sport of malakhro, in which well-known wrestlers demonstrated their strength, as well as the cultural gathering known as Sugharr Kacheri. The Hyderabad divisional commissioner, DIG Hyderabad and Jamshoro deputy commissioner also conducted a detailed visit of Sehwan to review administrative arrangements.
Officials said the city had been divided into four security zones for the urs, with more than 5,000 police personnel and 300 Rangers deployed. Two additional SSPs were assigned supervisory duties. CCTV cameras, including facial recognition systems, were installed across the city, while drones were being used for aerial surveillance.
Heavy traffic was barred from entering Sehwan during the urs, while Section 144 was imposed on all canals to prevent pilgrims from bathing there. Alternative shower facilities were arranged by the district administration. Throughout the three-day celebrations, a range of cultural events were scheduled, including malakhro, Sugharr Kacheri, a literary conference and musical gatherings.
According to the district administration, zero load-shedding was maintained during the urs after advance repairs were carried out. A health emergency remained in place, leave for health department staff was cancelled and medicines were available round the clock for pilgrims. The deputy commissioner said aerial monitoring of the city through drones continued throughout the event.
#QalandarUrs #LalShahbazQalandar #SehwanSharif #Urs2026 #SindhCulture #SufiTradition #PeaceAndBrotherhood #ReligiousHarmony #Pilgrimage #SindhNews #SehwanUrs #CulturalHeritage #Malakhro #SufiSaints #PakistanNews
