Baba Jee

By Rabia Ali *Urs of Abdullah Shah Ghazi celebrated* - The News International - Karachi, Pakistan
Friday, December 11, 2009

Karachi:Abdul Ghani quietly dropped money into the green Nazrana box, touched and kissed the railing of the grave, laid the Chaddar along with the wreath of fresh rose petals, offered Fateha and silently wept.

The room crammed with many others like him, had come from all parts of the country to pay tribute to Sufi saint Abdullah Shah Ghazi on the occasion of his annual Urs.

Commonly known as Baba Jee, the 1279th Urs of one of the most revered Sufi Saint was celebrated with great fervor on Thursday.

Thronged by thousands of believers, the three-day celebrations came to an end with the distribution of Langar (free food), and an evening of Qawali and Dhamal.

Leaving behind his worldly affairs for the saint, a volunteer Haji Asif did not sleep since the start of the festival. “I have been volunteering at the Urs for the last 20 years, and my duty is to ensure that discipline is maintained among the visitors. This place holds great importance for me, and I can neither express happiness nor the peace which overcomes me here,” he said.

Another devotee, Sumaira Begum had come all the way from Thatta for the Urs. “I come here every year to pay tribute since the saint is responsible for blessing me with a son seven years after my marriage,” she said.

Meanwhile, Farida, a resident of Teen Hatti said she had been praying at the shrine since morning. “I come here whenever Baba Jee calls me. I see him often in my dreams, and hence when I come here, I spend all my time praying, and asking him to keep gracing my dreams with his presence,” she said gleefully.

Due to security concerns, however, a low turnout was observed at the saint’s resting place.

“Every year, the number of visitors is in millions, but this year, we have only had 40,000 to 50,000 visitors. This is because people are afraid that an untoward incident might take place,” said Haji Asif.

Meanwhile, a heavy contingent of police and rangers were present inside and outside the premises of the shrine for the safety of the visitors.

Apart from devotes, the Sindh Education Minister Pir Mazar-ul-Haq, along with other officials also paid their tributes at the shrine.

[Picture: The Shrine of Hazrat Abdullah Shah Ghazi in Karachi. Photo: Wiki]