HYDERABAD: Hundreds of mourners (Azadars) undertaking long-distance pilgrimages on foot to the Shrine of Masooma-e-Sindh in Agham Kot are reportedly facing severe hardships due to inadequate facilities and unfinished development work at the shrine.
Calls have been made for the Government of Sindh, the Auqaf Department, the Chief Minister's Inspection Team, NAB, and other relevant investigative authorities to immediately take notice of what has been described as a deliberately created and extremely serious situation.
According to the statement, the arrival of walking pilgrimage caravans began on 25th Muharram and is expected to continue regularly until 21st Safar. Every day, seven to eight caravans, comprising thousands of men, women, and children, travel hundreds of miles on foot to pay their respects at the shrine.
The statement alleges that not only have the authorities failed to provide even basic facilities for the pilgrims, but the ongoing construction work at the shrine has also been left incomplete. It says the government contractor had repeatedly assured that the work would be completed before the final week of Muharram to ensure that pilgrims could enter and move around the shrine without difficulty.
However, despite these assurances, the contractor allegedly delegated responsibility to his site supervisor before leaving on a pilgrimage himself. Following his departure, the supervisor reportedly suspended all construction activities, sent the entire workforce on leave, and announced that work would not resume until after Chehlum (Arbaeen).
The statement further claims that when contacted, the site supervisor responded that no construction or development work would be carried out before Chehlum, regardless of who was approached.
"You may contact the Chief Minister or any other influential personality, but we will not resume work before Chehlum. You may lodge complaints with anyone you wish; it makes no difference to us," the supervisor was quoted as saying.
The organizers allege that this situation has been deliberately created through poor planning, causing immense inconvenience and hardship to thousands of pilgrims arriving on foot.
Prominent religious scholar Allama Syed Aal-e-Ahmad Bilgrami, Allama Ayaz Ali Qumi, senior noha reciter Agha Syed Mehr Ali Shah, patron of the Hyderabad Azadar Rabita Committee Zawar Abdul Sattar Dars, Riaz Ali Syed, Chief Organizer of Rah-e-Haq Academy Sindh, and several other community leaders strongly condemned what they described as an "extremely shameful" situation.
They called upon all relevant federal and provincial authorities to conduct an immediate investigation, take strict action against those responsible for creating the crisis, and ensure that urgent measures are taken to provide necessary facilities and relief to the thousands of mourners visiting the shrine during the sacred pilgrimage period.
