KARACHI, July 17: To celebrate the 100th birthday of Dr Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, the spiritual leader of the Dawoodi Bohra community, a postage stamp of Rs8 denomination was launched on Sunday. The community held a ceremony at the Taheri Masjid Complex to mark the occasion. It began with a welcome address by Mullah Hasnain.

Shaikh Shabbir Bhai Sadriwala informed the audience about the genesis of the idea of coming up with a postage stamp to commemorate the centennial birth celebrations of the Syedna, and thanked the government and the Pakistan Post for extending their support in this regard.

He also talked about those, including stamp collector M. Arif Balagamwala, who floated the idea of issuing a commemorative stamp at an expo held in January this year and also designed the stamp.

After that Mullah Hasnain gave the background to the design of the stamp. He said it had the image of Baab-i-Hatimi at Aljameatus Saifiya, North Nazimabad, which actually represented the 1000-year-old architectural design from the Fatimid period in Egypt.

Honorary secretary of the Faiz-i-Hakimi Saifuddin Bhai said that Syedna Burhanuddin had many qualities (he’s a teacher, an intellectual, a researcher, a guide, a spiritual leader etc), and had always taught and preached about the welfare of mankind. He said one of the essential teachings of the Syedna to his followers was serve and be loyal to the country where they lived. He also praised the Burhani Guards Trust (BGT) for its extensive and untiring efforts in arranging the programme and undertaking other assignments.

M Arif Balagamwala said that the ceremony was one of its kind because it was taking place on a Sunday. He said 500,000 stamps had been printed since the government didn’t allow more than that number, so it would be good if they were bought as early as possible.

BGT chairman Mr Noorudddin told the audience that the stamps would be showcased in a museum in Mumbai as well.

He said that throughout the history of Pakistan, leaders from the Quaid-i-Azam to the present prime minister had treated the Dawoodi Bohra community with affection.

The community, too, had been serving the country with utmost devotion, contributing to its well-being.

Tahir Ayub Khan representing the Pakistan Post and Saeed M. Shafique representing the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry also spoke.