LAHORE: The 974th annual "ghusal ceremony" of the shrine of Hazrat Ali-bin-Usman Alhajveri, popularly known as Hazrat Data Ganj Bakhsh (RA), was held here on Saturday.

Federal Finance Minister and Data Darbar Religious Affairs Committee Chairman Senator Ishaq Dar was chief guest of the ceremony while Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif also attended the ceremony.

The ceremony kicked off with recitation from the Holy Quran. Later, "ghusal" of the shrine was performed with rose water and wreaths were laid on the shrine.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, CM Shehbaz Sharif, Provincial ministers Mian Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman, Zaeem Qadri, Bilal Yaseen and others also took part in the gusal ceremony.

Special prayers were offered for peace, stability and prosperity of the country. Later, a book titled "Zad-ul-Abrar" written by Dr Tahir Raza Bukhari was launched which was inaugurated by the federal minister Ishaq Dar.