Surrounded by nearly 2,000 securitymen, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf would offer a 42-metre chaddar, especially designed for him, at Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti’s Dargah in Ajmer on Saturday. Musharraf, scheduled to arrive in Jaipur on Saturday morning, will fly to the Dargah in a helicopter to spend nearly 30 minutes in the world-famous Sufi shrine, which he is visiting for the first time.According to sources, Musharraf would arrive in Ajmer around 3:35 pm and reach the Dargah 25 minutes later. He would then fly to Delhi. Part of his entourage landed in the holy city on Friday with a crimson-red chaddar he would offer at the Dargah.Dargah Khadim Natik Chisti has been assigned the responsibility of performing the ziyarat for the General. ‘‘People who come to the Dargah have a khadim who has been serving the family during past visits. But since this is the first visit by anybody from the President’s family, the Pakistani High Commission has assigned me the responsibility,’’ Chisti said.The Anjuman Committee has planned a grand welcome for the guest. ‘‘The committee would do dastarbandi for the President. He would then be presented a sword and some books on the Khwaja. We would offer a dupatta to Begum Sehba Musharraf,’’ Khadim S F Hassan Chisti said.The committee would also offer two chaddars to the President. ‘‘These have to be placed on the tombs of Baba Farid Sahib at Pak Pattan and at the Data Durbar in Lahore,’’ Chisti said. Soon after the prayers, the President would be given an assortment of sugar and spices as the Khwaja’s tavvarukh.More than 2,000 security personnel would guard the Dargah, official sources said. The administration plans to evacuate the Dargah by afternoon after special prayers to mark a local festival. Thousands of devotees are expected to arrive for the festival. Shopkeepers have been asked to down their shutters a few hours ahead of Musharraf’s visit. ‘‘Tomorrow is a very auspicious day. We are sure his wish would be fulfilled,’’ Chisti said.
