ISLAMABAD: A group of 89 Pakistani devotees began attending the 813th annual Urs, or death anniversary commemoration, of the 12th-century Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in India, with a Pakistani diplomat laying a traditional chaddar, or ceremonial cloth, at his shrine on Tuesday.
Born in 1141 in Sistan, modern-day Iran, Chishti arrived in India in the late 12th century and gained a following for his teachings of compassion and service to humanity, which resonated deeply with the region’s marginalized communities. Known as Gharib Nawaz, or Benefactor of the Poor, he established the Chishti Order of Sufism in South Asia.
His legacy as a symbol of interfaith harmony endures through his shrine in Ajmer, Rajasthan, which draws millions of devotees annually, particularly during the commemoration of his death anniversary.
“To participate in the 813th annual Urs Mubarak of Hazrat Khwaja Syed Moinuddin Hasan Chishti (RA), a group of 89 Pakistani Zaireen [pilgrims] is in Ajmeer Sharif from 7-9 January 2025,” the Pakistan High Commission said on X, formerly Twitter.
“Pakistani Zaireen accompanied by Second Secretary, Pakistan High Commission, New Delhi, Mr. Tariq Masroof, placed the traditional Chaddar at the Shrine of Hazrat Khwaja Syed Moinuddin Hasan Chishti,” it added.
The event underscores how cultural and religious exchanges have persisted between India and Pakistan despite strained diplomatic relations since August 2019, when New Delhi revoked Kashmir’s special constitutional status. The disputed Himalayan region has long been a flashpoint between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, who have fought wars and numerous border skirmishes over it.
Religious tourism remains a crucial element of people-to-people exchanges under the 1974 Protocol on Visits to Religious Shrines, which permits citizens of both nations to visit sacred sites. These include Hindu and Sikh temples in Pakistan and Islamic shrines in India.
At the beginning of the year, the Pakistan High Commission announced it had issued 94 visas to Indian nationals to attend the birth anniversary of an 18th-century Hindu spiritual leader in Sindh province.
Pakistan has also promoted religious tourism by hosting Buddhist monks, as well as Hindu and Sikh pilgrims from India and other countries.
