Islamabad, April 21: People attending a ceremony marking the signing into law of a landmark constitutional reforms package were surprised when they came across a holy man sauntering through the presidency but later learnt that he was Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari’s “resident Pir”.
The nondescript holy man, Mohammad Ejaz from Gujranwala in Punjab province, was described in a report in the Dawn newspaper as being “all-important” to Zardari.
The daily quoted presidency insiders as saying that Ejaz was the President’s Pir. The Pir has been living in a guestroom close to the residence of the President since Zardari moved into the presidency in September 2008, the daily quoted sources as saying.
“The appearance of the Pir in a sophisticated gathering in the main hall of the presidency stunned many as he appeared to be a stranger, but was pacing up and down with an air of authority,” the report said, referring to Monday’s ceremony at which Zardari signed the 18th constitutional amendment bill into law.
The holy man, who was clad in a ‘shalwar qameez’ with slippers and sported a greyish beard, “caused much bowing and scraping from high and low alike, some politicians and bureaucrats included”, the report said.
Ejaz was seen in a corner of the presidency, “holding the head of a man, reciting some chants apparently to protect him from evil or sickness”, the report said.
However, presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar denied the presence of any Pir in the presidency. “There is no Pir or person like a Pir in the presidency,” he said.
Babar confirmed that some “trustworthy personal servants” of Zardari were living in the President’s House for long. “I couldn’t see any Pir on that day. Maybe the man who is believed to be a Pir is a servant of President Zardari,” he said.
The Pakistani media has reported earlier on Zardari’s spiritual beliefs. There is a practice of a black goat being sacrificed almost daily by the president as a ritual intended to protect him from evil, media reports have said.
Hundreds of black goats have reportedly been sacrificed since Zardari moved into the presidency. His trusted personal servant, Bai Khan, buys the goats from Saidpur village in Islamabad.
Former premiers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif too had a common patron saint called Tanakka Baba who lived in Mansehra. Both of them reportedly visited this Pir frequently to seek his blessings.
Former military ruler Pervez Musharraf often visited the Dargah of Eidgah Sharif, located at Asghar Mall Road in Rawalpindi, to meet Pir Naqeebur Rehman.
His visits were a source of discomfort for residents of the area, especially those whose houses faced the road.
–PTI