The following year, in 2017, His Holiness decided to conduct the sermons in Karachi, Pakistan. Despite security concerns, 60,000 people gathered in the heart of the city’s business district where the community’s central masjid is located for the period of ten days.
His Holiness’ sermons had drawn an international crowd in numbers Karachi had not seen in many years. The New York Times described the event as having sent ‘an important message’ of the return of ‘normalcy’ to Karachi.
Government leaders such as the Chief Minister of Sindh, Syed Murad Ali Shah, thanked His Holiness for his continued faith in Pakistan, its government and its people, and cited the successful completion of Ashara Mubaraka as an example of the peace and stability that has returned to the city.
