An anti-terrorism court in Dera Ghazi Khan district, 400 km from Lahore, on Wednesday gave the death sentence on 52 counts to Behram alias Sufi Baba, who was convicted of masterminding the attack on Hazrat Sakhi Sarwar shrine.
Be it a Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Parsi, Buddhist or Jain, everyone is welcome at the dargah, Rijiju said.
'Post COVID, people are much more enthusiastic about going to concerts.' 'The live music scenario has suddenly become very relevant to people's lives.' 'They see that it is cooked on the spot.'
While acknowledging that they needed strong allies for a chance in the assembly polls, AIADMK cadres seemingly prefer actor-politician Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam to the BJP, owing to the latter's 'communal agenda' and consequent hardline Hindutva image, explains N Sathiya Moorthy.
Amid controversy over the Gulmarg fashion show held during the month of Ramzan, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said his government would have never given permission for such an event in any month of the year.
A local court in Ajmer has ordered notices to be issued to three parties in a civil suit claiming the existence of a Shiva temple within the dargah of Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti. The suit, filed in September, seeks directions to resume worship at the alleged temple. The court has issued notices to the Ajmer Dargah Committee, Ministry of Minority Affairs, and the Archaeological Survey of India. The next hearing is scheduled for December 20.
Designer duo Shivan and Narresh, who are facing backlash for displaying 'obscene' garments at a fashion show in Gulmarg last week, have said their sole intention was to celebrate creativity and regret any hurt caused by the event during the holy month of Ramzan.
The Rajasthan government has rechristened the state tourism corporation's well-known Hotel Khadim in Ajmer as 'Ajaymeru' with an aim to preserve the cultural heritage of the city, according to an official order.
Pro-Taliban cleric Sufi Muhammad, who brokered a now-defunct peace deal between the authorities and insurgents, was arrested on Sunday in northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar for his links to militants and his role in fomenting unrest in the lawless Swat valley. Sufi, who heads the banned Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariah Muhammadi, was arrested with his sons Ziaullah and Rizwanullah and an accomplice by a large police contingent during a raid in the City Town area of Peshawar.
The prelude to the nine-day festival, which begins on October 3, is as exciting as the festival itself.
"The federal government has set up an investigation team of security agencies and Sufi Mohammad will be formally charged on the basis of its findings," the Dawn quoted North West Frontier Province Law Minister Arshad Abdullah, as saying on Monday.
Prakash Bare on his stint as a producer as well as an actor in the Malayalam movie.
A body representing the 'Khadims' of the Ajmer dargah has condemned a plea in a local court that seeks to declare the shrine of Khawaja Gharib Nawaz as a temple, saying right-wing forces were trying to "isolate" Muslims and "disrupt" communal harmony in the country.
'The Hindu couple praying at an Islamic shrine illustrates what makes India work,' says writer Mayank Austen Soofi.
The blast took place during Dhamaal -- a Sufi ritual -- when hundreds of devotees were present inside the premises of the vast mausoleum of the saint.
From bhikshus of Ashokan 3rd century BC and medieval Sufis to Oxfam, Omidyar and Soros now, non-State actors have any real power only when they work in conjunction with a real State, asserts Shekhar Gupta.
The victims, residents of Kareem Gumvat colony, belonged to the same family and were returning from a wedding function in Barauli village.
Initial investigations found that Shahidullah was involved in a property dispute with neighbours 'which could be a reason of the murder'.
The blast occurred in the remote Hub region in Lasbela district where devotees were attending a Sufi dance called "dhamaal" at Dargah Shah Noorani shrine.
The latest Malayalam venture by National Award winning director Priyanandanan is about life, which goes beyond any religious dogma or faith.
A shrine of a revered sufi saint was on Sunday gutted in a mysterious fire at Ratsuna village of central Kashmir's Budgam district, triggering protest in the area.
It was alleged that the journalist in his news show on June 15 had used the term 'Lootera Chishti' for the Sufi saint, inviting reactions from the Muslim community.
The Nagpur violence may have been prevented had the police considered the dangerous potential of the VHP/Bajrang Dal's demonstration; had they immediately stopped the burning of the chaddar and arrested the demonstrators; and had they fanned out to counter the rumours that spread among Muslims, observes Jyoti Punwani.
Besides the not-so-hidden unease between Modi and Adityanath, Modi chose to address the Lok Sabha to ensure that he could personally claim all the kudos, observes Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay.
'We wouldn't have had to face all this had our national leaders taken care to select a place for Sindhis and sent us there, instead of sending us all over to settle in places where the locals didn't want us.' 'They could have partitioned Sindh and given us a Sindhi state from its two Hindu-majority districts.' 'Wasn't that the logic of Partition?'
A local court in Ajmer has issued notices to the dargah committee, the Ministry of Minority Affairs, and the Archaeological Survey of India on a plea seeking to declare the shrine of Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti a temple. The petition, filed in September, has sparked a heated debate, with politicians and community leaders weighing in on the potentially volatile issue. The dargah committee has declined to comment, but the Anjuman Syed Zadgan, a body representing the caretakers of the dargah, described the petition as a deliberate attempt to fracture society along communal lines. The petition comes just days after four people were killed in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, following a local court ordering survey of a Mughal-era shrine. The Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, which fixed August 15, 1947, as the cut-off date for status quo on the character of religious places, is at the centre of much of the debate. Several politicians, including Union minister Giriraj Singh and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, have weighed in on the issue. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has called the civil court's decision to entertain the petition unwarranted and has asked the Supreme Court to immediately intervene.
Two suicide bombers struck the famed Sufi shrine of Abdullah Shah Ghazi in Karachi on Thursday, killing at least eight people and injuring several others.
Brides and grooms are pulling out all the stops when it comes to wedding wear. Conventional is passé, observes Asmita Aggarwal.
The shrine is believed to be the first halting point of the Sufi saint who has places of worship named after him across the Kashmir valley.
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram has said that the government has offered to rebuild Dustgeer Sahib, the Sufi shrine that was destroyed in a massive fire this week. He was addressing the media at Shastri Bhavan in New Delhi in his monthly meeting.
Owaisi criticized the court-ordered survey of a Mughal-era mosque in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, saying it weakens India and distracts from real issues like inflation and unemployment.
At least four people were killed and 12 others injured on Monday in a bomb blast outside a Sufi shrine in the central Pakistani city of Pakpattan, said the police. Two unidentified men parked a motorcycle outside the gate of the shrine and the blast occurred at 6.20 am, police quoted witnesses as saying.They said the explosive device was believed to have been planted in the motorcycle and was triggered by a remote control.
The Supreme Court's 2023 order refusing to stay a scientific survey at the Gyanvapi Mosque complex has sparked claims over several other disputed places of worship across India. This has led to several court cases, including one in Mathura where a survey of the Shahi Idgah Mosque complex was ordered, and another in Ajmer where a claim was made that a Shiva temple existed within the dargah of Sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti. The article also highlights a dispute over the Bhojshala in Madhya Pradesh, which Hindus consider a temple and Muslims consider a mosque. The Supreme Court's order has reignited debates about the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, which prohibits the change of character of religious places as they existed on August 15, 1947.
'Delhi's streets were not alleys but an artist's canvas,' the eminent poet Mir Taqi Mir noted more than 150 years ago. Syed Firdaus Ashraf savours the sights and cuisine of the national capital.
Sukanya Verma celebrates Hrithik Roshan's silver work anniversary with a playlist of 25 of his chartbusters.
One attacker blew himself up at the crowded entrance to the shrine and the second in the basement, where people perform ablutions before entering the complex. The third bomber detonated his explosive vest in a part of the shrine adjoining a busy market, witnesses said.
'The government is saying 88 Hindus have been killed, but it could be much more.' 'Their properties are being looted, their businesses have been ransacked. I am getting distress calls from there.' 'Muslims who believe in the philosophy of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman are also under attack. Most of those who have fled Bangladesh after Sheikh Hasina's fall are Muslims.'
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday alleged a 'well-planned' conspiracy by the Bharatiya Janata Party for the violence in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal, where a team of Congress MPs led by Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to visit on December 4 amid restrictions imposed by the district administration.
Devotees at the dargah thronged around the actor and clicked selfies with her.
On Wednesday, the couple hosted a Sufi night for family and friends at Raghav's residence in New Delhi.
