Schools, colleges to remain closed in Lahore tomorrow

The Lahore district administration has declared a public holiday on Tuesday, August 4, in connection with the annual Urs of Sufi saint Hazrat Data Ganj Bakhsh.

According to an official notification, the holiday will be observed across Lahore district. The 983rd annual Urs of Hazrat Ali Hajveri, widely known as Data Ganj Bakhsh, began on Sunday with the traditional chadar-laying ceremony and the inauguration of a milk sabeel by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar at Data Darbar.

The three-day Urs is attended each year by thousands of devotees, religious scholars and Sufis from across the country, who gather at Data Darbar to pay their respects and participate in the religious ceremonies.

Hazrat Data Ganj Bakhsh, an 11th-century Persian Sufi saint and scholar, settled in Lahore after being born in Ghazni. His shrine is regarded as one of the largest and most prominent Sufi shrines in South Asia.