KHAIRPUR: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that a campus of the under-construction Sufi University, Bhitshah, will be opened at Daraza Sharif.

He was speaking to journalists after inaugurating the 196th Urs celebrations of the renowned Sufi saint Sachal Sarmast on Saturday in Daraza Sharif, 40km from here. The Urs was unofficially opened a day earlier.

He said that Sindh was a land of saints and Sufis who had preached love, peace and brotherhood among all humans without any discrimination of caste, creed and colour.

196th Urs of Sachal Sarmast formally inaugurated

Sachal Saeen struggled against hatred, religious extremism and terrorism and “it is now our duty to eliminate terrorism and extremism to save our motherland”, he said.

Mr Shah announced that a campus of under-construction Sufi University, Bhitshah, would be opened at Daraza Sharif and agreed to approve the suggestions presented by Khairpur deputy commissioner for further development of Sachal’s shrine. A bill might also be passed by Sindh Assembly to get development schemes completed at Sachal’s shrine if needed, he said.

Provincial Minister Manzoor Wassan said that terrorists attacked Lal Shahbaz Qalandar’s shrine to scare people away from dargahs but terrorists could never frighten the followers of Sufi saints.

Khwaja Abdul Haq Farooqui III, custodian of Sachal’s shrine, said that it was a matter of great concern that no class on Sufism was part of curricula at any university in the province.

He said that many followers of Sufis from foreign countries were willing to attend the Urs celebrations of Sachal but there was no facility for providing suitable accommodation to such guests.

Earlier, Khairpur DC and chairman of Sachal Yadgar Committee Mohammad Saleem Rajput presented development package for Sachal’s shrine wherein he proposed the establishment of ‘Sachyology’ on the pattern of Sindhology, rest house, trauma centre, Sachal Development Authority, parking, solar system, residential area for Sachal’s devotees, Malakhra ground, market, exhibition hall and other facilities.

The chief minister unveiled Sarmast and Sachal souvenir and presented Sachal awards to Prof Nagpal (best paper), Inayat Baloch (best poet), Salahudin Ghumro (best worker), Shazia Marvi (best singer), Munawwar Abro and Sadruddin Shah (best Sufi singers), Deedar Ali Jamali (best wrestler), Syed Arbab Ali Shah (best sughar), Ustad Mohkamdin Panhwar and late Ustad Ghulam Sarwar Channa.

Renowned broadcaster and poet Mukhtiar Malik compered the awards distribution programme. Pro­vincial Minister Dr Sikandar Mandhro, Khairpur SSP Ghulam Azfar Mahesar and others were also present on the occasion.

‘Sindh suffers due to failure of KE, Hesco & Sepco’

The chief minister told journalists at the Gambat Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) on Saturday that Sindh was suffering because of failure of K-Electric, Hesco and Sepco, with the latter two working under the federal ministry of water and power.

The situation had improved to some extent after the Sindh government took steps to ease the crisis, he said, adding that only Sindh with its huge reserves of gas, coal and wind energy offered a solution to the seemingly insurmountable energy crisis.

Mr Shah said earlier at the inauguration ceremony for OPD radiology ward, angioplasty catheterization laboratory and postgraduates research centre that the government had hired 5,500 doctors through Sindh Public Service Commission who were now being given offer letters. The commission had been asked to hire more doctors, he said.

He announced extending contract of German doctors who had been working in the liver transplantation unit at GIMS and said that proton beam therapy centres would be established across Sindh to treat cancer patients.

He approved a Rs700 million development scheme for GIMS and said that all needs of the institute would be fulfilled as the government wanted to make the institute a state-of-the-art facility.

Sindh Minister for Health Dr Sikandar Mandhro, Sukkur Commissioner Mohammad Abbas Baloch, DIG Feroze Shah and other officers concerned were also present at the ceremony.

Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2017