LAHORE – A local holiday will be observed in the city on Friday, August 15, in connection with the 982nd annual Urs celebrations of Hazrat Data Ganj Bakhsh (RA).
The district administration is expected to issue a formal notification of the holiday today.
As part of the Urs festivities, an inter-madrassa speech competition was held, attracting participants from across Punjab, including Lahore. Maulana Abu Sufyan from Jamia Rizvia Mazhar-ul-Islam, Faisalabad, secured first place while Husnain Raza from Jamia Nooria Rizvia Faisalabad won second place. Ayan Ali clinched third position.
Prizes were distributed among the winners by Punjab Auqaf Secretary Dr Tahir Raza Bukhari. The judging panel included Prof. Mumtaz-ul-Hassan, Principal of Minhaj University, Dr Shabbir Ahmad Jami, Prof. Dr Najamuddin, Dr Ahmad, and Pir Khalil-ur-Rehman. Khateeb of Data Darbar, Mufti Muhammad Ramzan Sialvi, offered a special prayer.
According to media reports, some institutions will have a four-day break this week, as Thursday marks Independence Day (August 14), Friday is the Urs holiday, and some offices remain closed on Saturday, followed by the regular Sunday holiday.
