Caretaker Minister for Auqaf and Religious Affairs Punjab Barrister Syed Azfer Ali Nasir visited Kasur on Friday and paid tribute to Punjabi Sufi poet Baba Bulhe Shah at his shrine.
Secretary Auqaf and Religious Affairs Dr Syed Tahir Raza Bukhari, Deputy Commissioner Kasur Muhammad Arshad Bhatti, DPO Tariq Aziz and others were also present.
Caretaker provincial minister laid a wreath at the shrine and recited Fateha. He especially prayed for the martyrs of the Peshawar incident and earthquake victims of Turkiye and Syria.
A detailed briefing was given to the caretaker minister regarding the ongoing development works at the shrine.
Azfar Ali Nasir, while issuing orders for completing the development work on time and establishing the Baba Bulhe Shah Library, expressed his determination that the ‘langar khana’ [free food point] at the shrine would be fully operationalise before Ramazan. He said that proper arrangements should be made for ‘Wuzoo Khana’ in the crematorium adjacent to Darbar Bulhe Shah.
The caretaker minister said that on the instructions of the Punjab chief minister, the shrines of Sufi saints were being renovated and decorated throughout the province for convenience of devotees and strict security arrangements were also being made.
Later, in an address to the Sufism conference at Jamia Masjid Baba Bulhe Shah, being held by the Auqaf Department, Barrister Azfar Ali Nasir said that the monasteries of Sufis had been a source of guidance for people for centuries. “Through the efforts of the Sufis, Islam spread in the Subcontinent,” he said. He emphasised that there was dire need for having guidance from Sufis of Islam to establish a real welfare society in Pakistan. Secretary Auqaf Syed Tahir Raza Bukhari, in his speech, said that Baba Bulhe Shah struggled for reformation of society through his poetry. “Success in this world and the world hereafter can be achieved by making the role of Sufis as a guide,” concluded the secretary.
