Farooq lays foundation stone of shrine

Excelsior Correspondent
Pattan, Aug 3: National Conference Party President Dr. Farooq Abdullah today laid the foundation stone of Ziyarat and Masjid Hazrat Mohuiddin Khan Naqshbandi at Nihalpora, Pattan.
Hazrat Mohuiddin Khan Naqshbandi (RA) was a sufi peer renowned for his spirituality and his contributions towards the spread of Islam in the Valley.
The first phase of construction will commence immediately and will see work started on the shrine and the Masjid. The construction will be conducted under the supervision of former Chief Engineer Sheikh Abdul Salaam and Rs 10 lakhs have been made available for this phase.
Dr. Farooq Abdullah addressed a gathering of local people at Nihalpora Pattan and said this was a special day for him, his family and the people of Nihalpora, Pattan. “This was a part of my mother’s will and this was a dream she had nurtured. She wanted a shrine and a Masjid to come up here in reverence of Hazrat Mohuiddin Khan Sahab (RA). Today I feel grateful to Allah for being able to fulfill that dream”, Dr. Farooq said.
The NC President said these shrines are the centers of history, culture and learning and are inarguably the most valuable assets of our nation. “It is the values taught and propagated by these pious souls that continue to form a part of our ethos and spiritual inheritance”, Dr. Farooq said.
On the demand of the locals, Dr. Abdullah directed the supervisors and the in-charge to add a second floor to the Masjid project and also assured the locals that he would try his level best to explore the possibility of setting up a Madr-e-Meharbaan Hospital at Nihalpora, Pattan.
NC Additional General Secretary Dr. Sheikh Mustafa Kamaal, Senior NC leader Aga Mehmood, Sher-e-Kashmir Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s daughter Mohtarma Suraya Mattoo and son-in-law, Dr. Ali Mohammad Mattoo , members of Dr. Farooq Abdullah’s family, Haji Ghulam Mustafa Shah (Project In-charge)and various local prominent citizens were also present on the occasion.