KARACHI, May 29: At least 40,000 members of the Bohra community assembled in the National Stadium to welcome Dr Syedna Mohammad Burhanuddin who flew in here on a special PIA flight on Saturday evening.

Devotees, mostly clad in traditional white attire, clapped enthusiastically as the 93-year-old religious leader expressed the hope that India and Pakistan would normalize their ties.

"It was at the invitation of President Pervez Musharraf that I came directly from India to Islamabad. This city of yours [Karachi] is not only a metropolis, it is a symbol of intellectual traditions, culture and history," he said.

Syedna Burhanuddin recalled that in the past, members of the Bohra community had established many educational institutions in Karachi. It was in the same spirit that they had set up Jamia Saifia, a Karachi-based Arabic academy similar to one in Surat, India.

Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad thanked Syedna Burhanuddin for visiting Karachi. Those who attended the welcoming ceremony included Religious Affairs Minister Ejazul Haq and Karachi Nazim Naimatullah Khan.