Zardari offers prayers at Ajmer Dargah Sharif, announces one million USD donation

Ajmer, Apr 9 (PTI) Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari offered prayers at the historic 13th century dargah of sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti on Sunday in this pilgrim town in the northwest Indian state of Rajasthan after which a one million US dollar donation for the shrine was announced. At the end of his visit to the shrine marked by tight security, Zardari said he felt "a great spiritual happiness" after coming to this holy place which was "beyond description." A one million USD donation for the welfare of the shrine was announced on behalf of Zardari by a member of his delegation, according to the shrine's Anjuman (clerics) committee vice president Syed Khalimuddin Chishti. Clad in a blue salwar kameez, 56-year-old Zardari, accompanied by his son Bilawal, Interior Minister Rehman Malik and members of his 44-member delegation, stayed inside the Sufi saint's mausoleum for 20 minutes where he offered a 42-square metre long red 'chadar' and floral tributes. Bilawal offered a green chadar. Chadar is a ceremonial cloth inscribed with religious verses. A chadar was also offered by India's Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Bansal on behalf of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Bansal was the minister-in-waiting for Zardari during the visit. "I feel a great spritual happiness after coming to this holy place. It is beyond description. I pray to god to create favourable condition for the humanity. Amin," Zardari wrote in Urdu in the visitors book. Zardari performed 'fateha' (supplication) and went around the premises comprising mosques, graves of the Khwaja's disciples, a pool and two big cauldrons used for cooking food during the annual Urs. Two previous Presidents of Pakistan, Gen Zia-ul-Haq and Gen Pervez Musharraf, had also offered prayers at the revered shrine. The President landed at Ghugra helipad in Ajmer in a helicopter from Jaipur where a special aircraft carrying him and his delegation brought him from Delhi after a meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who also hosted a lunch for him. The convoy then moved to the Dargah Sharif, 12.3 kms by road from the helipad. Sayed Natik Chisti, who had performed the 'Ziyarat' (prayer) when Gen Musharraf had visited the shrine, performed the same for Zardari along with Syed Iqbal Kaptan Chisti who claimed to be the family khadim of late prime minister and Zardari's slain wife Benazir Bhutto. Tight security arrangements were in place for the visit and 1,600 police personnel guarded the entire area from the helipad to the Dargah whose premises was evacuated after noon with only pass holders allowed to stay inside during the visit of Zardari. PTI