LAHORE – Tens of thousands of the devotees participated in the 968th annual Urs of Hazrat Ali Hajveri (RA), popularly known as Data Gunj Bukhsh, on the second day of the event on Saturday, amid elaborate security arrangements.
The Urs ceremonies will conclude on the third and final day on Sunday (today). The devotees continued to reach the shrine of the saint in groups, dancing to the beat of drums while collecting donations in green sheets for langar.  The important ceremony on the second day was Mehfil-e-Sama which was especially participated by Senator Ishaq Dar and Punjab Minister for Religious Affairs Haji Ehsanuddin Qureshi. Prominent Naat Khawans enchanted the participants.  Meanwhile, overcast and windy conditions in the City on Saturday caused decrease in the mercury level, increasing chill in weather during the day and at night time.
Due to the activity of westerly wave, maximum and minimum temperature decreased by around 3 degree Celsius that enhanced cold in the weather.
On Saturday, maximum and minimum temperature in the City was recorded 17.1 C and 2.5 C respectively. Relative humidity in the morning was recorded 92pc which decreased to 46pc in the evening.  According to the experts, westerly wave is lying over upper and central parts of the country.  Local meteorological department has forecast cloudy weather with chances of rain for the City during the next couple of days. Met Office has forecast rains with snowfall over the hills at scattered places of Malakand, Peshawar, Hazara, Mardan, Kohat, Lahore, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi, Sargodha and Faisalabad divisions, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir.
Rains with snowfall over the hills are also expected at isolated places of D I Khan, Zhob, Quetta, Sibbi, Kalat, D G Khan, Bahawalpur and Sukkur divisions. Mainly cold and dry weather has been predicted for the remaining parts of the country.