LAHORE: The first session of Raiwind congregation concluded on Sunday with prayers for prosperity and laying stress on unity among the Ummah to meet challenges confronting the Muslim world.
More than two million people said to have participated in the three-day congregation.Raiwind Madrasa Arabia Ameer Haji Abdul Wahab and other prominent scholars, including Maulana Saad and Maulana Ahmad Bahawalpuri, addressed the participants.They urged the pilgrims to act upon the teachings of Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). Scores of the faithful from abroad also participated in the congregation. The second session of the congregation will start from November 15.
About 2,000 police officers and 3,000 volunteers guarded the the congregation, while a huge ‘tent city’ including a market with more than 300 makeshift shops and thousands of residential tents was set up to accommodate the visitors.The participants of congregation, the the biggest regular gathering of people in Pakistan, began leaving the city at around 10:30am and continued streaming out all the day.Traffic police had blocked roads around the venue and opened both sides of Raiwind Road for vehicles. At the venue, the visitors on bikes were the first to leave, followed by pedestrians and then cars and buses. – Nation
