Classical dancer Sheema Kermani performs Dhamaal at Sehwan shrine

In a move which was hailed as courageous, classical dancer and activist Sheema Kermani performed Dhamaal, a Sufi dance, at the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine where a suicide attack killed over 85 people last week.   

Kermani, who is known for using her dance as activism, said that her performance on Sunday was an attempt to promote tolerance and pluralism.

In a message on Facebook she said, "Just wanted to acknowledge all those friends who have commented about our Dhammal at Sehwan - thank you for all the appreciation and support, this was not just me doing the Dhammal at Sehwan it was all of us together who believe in the beauty of love, humanism, pluralism, harmony and tolerance."

"We believe that dance and music and art, make us better human beings, create love between people, and this is what the great Sufis have taught us," she said.

The shrine was initially only opened for those who wanted to perform dhamaal. However, on the day of Kermani's performance, many visitors were seen on the premises.

Soon after the blast, the shrine was closed for public but defiant devotees of the Sufi saint protested for not being let in. Two days after a bloodbath ensued at the premises, devotees performed the traditional dance at the shrine, chanting poetry by the Sufi saint they lovingly call Lal Saeen.