‘Development story of shrine a testament to Waqf Board’s holistic vision’
SHAHDARA SHARIF (RAJOURI): Chairperson of the Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board, Dr Syed Darakhshan Andrabi, on Wednesday inaugurated the state-of-the-art Grand Mosque at Shahdara Sharif, along with a new Guest House equipped with modern facilities and a Security Barrack at the shrine campus, describing the development story of Shahdara Sharif as a testimony to the Board’s holistic vision.
Dr Andrabi, who participated in the Annual Urs events at the shrine of Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah (RA) at Shahdara Sharif and addressed thousands of devotees, said the teachings of this great spiritual peer will remain the guiding force for us always. She also remembered the sacrifice of Imam Hussain (AS) on Ashura, saying this day stands as a testimony till eternity of the supreme sacrifice of the Prophet’s illustrious grandson and his family for upholding truth.
“Inaugurating the Grand Mosque has made the dream a reality today. This project was conceived by us only a year ago. It gives great pleasure to see that this beautiful infrastructure has been constructed within one year by the engineers of the Board. When people offered their first prayers in this beautiful structure, I saw tears in their eyes. This pure endorsement of our work by the people is inspirational and encouraging for us,” Andrabi said.
She said Shahdara Sharif has now become a leading model Ziyarat Complex in whole of Jammu and Kashmir, and that the historical spiritual shrine has transformed a lot through continuous developmental works executed by the Board over the past four years.
“Waqf Board received no government funds, grants or aids but carried on all developmental works, constructions, and upgradations out of the finances of the Board by managing the budgets with honesty, transparency, and accountability,” the Waqf Board Chairperson said.
The event was attended by Maulana Farooq Naqashbandi, Maulana Syed Ahmad, former Member of Parliament Chowdhary Talib Hussain, Waqf Board Members Dr Ghulam Nabi Haleem and Syed Mohammad Hussain Haqqani, Administrator Abid Hussain, and Executive Officer Rajouri Abdul Qayoom, among others. Administrators and Executive Officers of Waqf Board for Poonch, Reasi, Shopian, Samba, and Doda were also present. Dr Darakhshan also met several public delegations during the event.