The 756th, three day long, annual urs celebrations of Hazrat Usman Marvandi Lal Shahbaz Qalandar would begin on Thursday at Sehwan Town with traditional zeal, enthusiasm and fervour. The local administration along with Auqaf and Culture Departments has made elaborate arrangements to organise the celebrations in a befitting manner.
Steps are being taken to provide maximum facilities to tens of thousands of devotees, who have started arriving from different parts of the country in public and private vehicles as well as special trains. The management of Pakistan International Airlines has also initiated special flights from Karachi to Sehwan from August 21 till August 23.
According to organisers, the annual urs celebrations will begin on Thursday with laying of floral wreaths by Sindh Governor, Dr Ishrat ul Ebad. He will also offer fateha at the mazar of Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar.
On the same day, the District Nazim Jamshoro Malik Asad Sikandar will be the chief guest at the Agro-Industrial Exhibition at Mela Ground while in the evening Sindh Revenue Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah will be the chief guest at traditional Sindhi wrestling "Malakhra" at Malakhra Stadium and at "Sughran-ji-Katchery" at Shahbaz Auditorium.
Sindh Minister for Culture and Tourism, Sassui Palijo will be the chief guest at "Adabi" Conference, to be held on Friday at Shahbaz Auditorium where the intellectuals, scholars and writers will speak on different topics. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah will be the chief guest at the concluding ceremony of the urs celebrations, on Saturday. He will lay floral wreaths and offer fateha at the mazar of Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar.
The Chief minister will also be the chief guest at the "Lok Ras" and award distribution ceremony at Shahbaz Hall. A spokesman of the District Government Jamshoro said here on Wednesday that the district administration has arranged medical camps, ambulance service, mobile medical units and civil defence camps on every 15 to 20 kilometers of Indus Highway right from Jamshoro to Sehwan as well as Dadu to Sehwan.
He said that control rooms have been set up in Sehwan and Kotri and in case of emergency people may contact the administrators via Telephone Numbers 025-4005795, 022-3871946, 0229-239071, 022-3871299, 0254-620317, 022-3874987. For medical help, he said citizens could contact Executive District Officer Health Jamshoro via 0333-2609518 and District Officer Health via 0301-3533500. Secretary, Mela Committee was said to be available on 0300-8377697.