Tens of thousands attend Khadim Rizvi’s funeral

LAHORE : Tens of thousands of mourners reciting durood and chanting slogans of Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah converged at the historical Minar-e-Pakistan on Saturday morning to offer funeral prayers for Tehrik Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) Ameer Allama Khadim Hussain Rizvi.

The funeral prayers were also attended by noted religious scholars representing all Islamic schools of thought coming from all over the country besides the noted political figures.

The crowd was termed historic by several elderly residents, saying never in the history such a large number of people had gathered at the place. People had begun reaching the place as early as before dawn and local residents said by the morning the ground of Minar-e-Pakistan had already filled to the capacity.

The ambulance bringing the body of Allama Khadim Hussain Rizvi faced quite difficulties as several kilometres long queues of vehicles were seen around Azadi Chowk and the historical ground.

As the Minar-e-Pakistan ground and adjoining footpaths were occupied, a large number of people had to offer the funeral prayers on the Azadi Chowk Flyover and the adjoining roads leading to the ground.

Weeping mourners from the buildings and houses on both sides of the road also showered flower petals on the ambulance and the coffin carrier in which the body was carried to burial place.

The funeral prayers were led by Hafiz Saad Hussain Rizvi, the eldest son of Allama Khadim Hussain Rizvi, and later he was buried inside Madressah Abuzar Ghaffari, opposite to his Markaz Rehmatul Lil Alameen and his living quarter on Multan Road.

Qul ceremony will be held at 9pm on Sunday at Data Darbar. The noted religious and political figures who attended the funeral prayers included Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Noorul Haq Qadri, Allama Khadim Rizvi’s teacher and head of his alma mater Pir Abdul Sattar Saeedi, Royat Hilal Committee Chairman Mufti Munibur Rehman, noted scholar Allama Saqib Raza Mustafai, Maulana Ilyas Qadri’s son Maulana Bilal Attari Qadri, Sunni Tehrik President Sarwat Ijaz Qadri, Jamaat-e-Islami Naib Ameer Liaquat Baloch, Zikrullah Mujahid, Dr Raghib Hussain Naeemi, Tehrik Labbaik Ya Rasoolallah President Dr Ashraf Asif Jalali, Mian Waleed Shaqaqpuri, Usman Jalali, JUP Vice-President Qari Zawwar Bahadur, Fazlur Rehman Okarvi, JUI-F central leader Maulana Amjad Khan, noted scholar Maulana Rasheed Mian, Hafiz Ghazanfar Aziz, Maulana Farooqul Hasan, Allama Maqsood Makki, Abdul Mustafar Hazarvi, Maulana Faheemuddin, Khwaja Ghulam Qutubuddin, Hafiz Naseer Noorani, Rasheed Rizvi, Pir Shahid Gardezi, Maulana Naeem Javed Noori,

Malik Mehboobur Rasool Qadri, Pir Irfan Mashadi, and scores of other noted figures from all walks of life.