First phase of Raiwind congregation concludes with special prayers.

Byline: Ashraf Javed

LAHORE -- The first phase of the annual religious congregation concluded in Raiwind on Sunday with special prayers for the country and Muslims around the world.

Renowned scholar Maulana Muhammad Ibrahim led the concluding prayer on Sunday morning. Hundreds of thousands of people attended the three-day congregation and they left for their homes after the concluding prayers.

During the congregation, noted religious scholars from different countries including Bangladesh and India addressed different sessions of the gathering. They also urged the participants to follow the teachings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to spread the message of Islam to people all over the world.

Emotional scenes were witnessed during the special prayer that lasted for a considerable time. Many of them were seen in tears during the prayer. Following the prayer, all the participants left back on buses, cars, trains, and other vehicles.

Second phase will take place from 7 to 10th

The annual Raiwind congregation has been divided into two phases because of massive participation of people. The first phase of the congregation began on October 31 after Asr prayer. People from Lahore, Peshawar, Multan, and Quetta divisions participated in the first phase. The second phase of the Raiwind Ijtema will begin on November 7. It will conclude on November 10 with special prayer.

Hundreds of thousands of people from Pakistan and other countries attended the annual congregation in Raiwind, about 36 kilometers from Lahore. On Sunday, more people from Lahore reached the venue in the morning to attend the special prayer.

Maulana Muhammad Ibrahim prayed to the Almighty for forgiveness of sins, freeing Pakistan from prevailing chaos, setting aside differences and making the country a strong and stable welfare state with trembling voice with tears in his eyes.

Special security arrangements were made by the law enforcement agencies to avert any untoward incident due to threat alerts. The police were manning entry and exits points of the venue besides a security cover all around it, the internal security and administration were handled by volunteers.

When the participants started leaving to their respective destinations, massive traffic congestion was observed at Raiwind Road and later at Multan Road and Ferozpur Road. All the roads leading to Raiwind were closed and one-way traffic was allowed to facilitate departure of huge number of vehicles from the...