Yet To Begin

By Javed Aziz Khan, *Rahman Baba shrine* - The News International - Karachi, Pakistan
Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Peshawar: A group of six women, four of them clad in all-covering ‘burqas’ and two young girls without the veil were seen offering fateha at the shrine of great Pashto Sufi poet Abdur Rahman Baba here Monday while over 40 children were reciting the holy Quran in the adjacent mosque.

As the women left after a few moments, another group of eight women arrived. The women did not seem afraid of the terrorists, who had bombed the shrine on March 5, 2009 as a reaction to visits by females there.

Terrorists attacked the tomb in Hazarkhwani village near Ring Road with five bombs. Prior to the bombing, they had warned the caretakers of the tomb against the frequent visits by women.

The terrorists translated their threat into action by destroying the shrine building but they could not stop the female visitors, as hundreds visit the shrine everyday to pay tribute to the great Sufi poet.

“Women are coming in large numbers nowadays. Nobody can stop them from paying tribute to the 17th century legendary poet, whose poetry is recited at Pakhtun ‘hujras’ and homes even today. He is respected, particularly by Pakhtuns, as an elder of their families,” said a visitor Malik Irfan.

Before the threats against females’ visits, a partition had been made for the male and female visitors at the shrine. “We cannot stop females to visit the place as there are graves of hundreds of other people, whose relatives frequently visit the graveyard where Rahman Baba’s shrine is located,” said the caretaker of the shrine.

Abdur Rahman, general known as Rahman Baba, was born in 1653 at Bahadar Killay on the outskirts of Peshawar. His poetry is a message of peace, love and education for Pakhtuns and contains words of wisdom for the common man.

The Sufi poet died in 1711 and was laid to rest outside Hazarkhwani. Many people quote a religious scholar, who claimed having seen Baba’s intact body and smiling face while the coffin was being shifted from one grave to another in the mid-90s when his tomb was rebuilt.

The gigantic dome over the grave was considered to be one of the two highest tombs in the country and was built at a cost of about Rs110 million. The then president, Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari, inaugurated the shrine building and a library, mosque, conference hall and cafe on the premises. Except the mosque, the rest of the three buildings were never used since its construction over one and a half decades back.

After bombing of the mausoleum in March last year, Rs30 million was allocated by the government in April for its reconstruction. Despite a lapse of nine months, the reconstruction is yet to begin. The makeshift shelter is still there, while the grave is covered with a piece of cloth.

“The government should have carried out reconstruction within a couple of months as demanded by the devotees of Rahman Baba. Also, the people involved in the attack need to be punished publicly,” stated Amjad Khan, a young visitor, adding that people like him visited the shrine regularly seeking peace of mind.

It is a matter of concern that the authorities have not provided proper security to the place to prevent terrorist attacks in future. Only one police constable performs duty at the main entrance of the shrine. The roads leading from Rashid Garhi, Afridi Abad, Phandu Road and Ring Road to the shrine are also in a dilapidated condition and need reconstruction.

[Picture from Wiki]