Written by: Tanveer Ali
Posted on: February 25, 2025 | 
| 中文
Prince Karim Aga Khan in Hunza, 1960.
The world mourns the loss of His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan, the 49th Imam and spiritual leader of Ismaili Muslims around the world as he passed away on February 04, 2025 in Portugal. His son, Prince Rahim Aga Khan, has succeeded him as the 50th hereditary Imam of the Ismaili Muslims. Prince Karim Aga Khan was a visionary leader, philanthropist and educationist known for his development work for the marginalized people in the developing world, particularly in Asia and Africa. He holds a special place in the hearts and minds of people of Pakistan and especially Gilgit Baltistan and Chitral, as he deeply cared about them and worked for their upliftment via various social, economic and educational projects for more than six decades.
Aga Khan V, Prince Rahim Aga Khan
He became Imam of the Ismaili community at a tender age of 20 after his grandfather, Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah (Sir Aga Khan III, a formidable leader and the founding President of All India Muslim League) passed away in 1957. That was a period of political turmoil when Asia and Africa were going through an independence and decolonization wave. He steered the community in a right direction and provided them a clear path towards stability and success. A towering figure in the global arena, he worked tirelessly for the people he deeply cared via the network of institutions he founded and spearheaded. He met the expectations of his grandfather when he appointed him his successor by saying, “I should be succeeded by a young man who has been brought up and developed during recent years, and in the midst of the new age and who brings a new outlook on life to his office as Imam.”
Aga Khan III, Sir Sultan Shah, in 1936.
He truly was a leader of the new age who brought a revolution with the work he carried out. To realize his vision for a better and prosperous world, he founded Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), a vast network of institutions working on health, education, culture, community resilience and economic well-being amongst others. This network is spread around the world, making lasting contributions around the world, and Pakistan is no exception to that. Aga Khan Foundation (AKF), Aga Khan Rural Support Program (AKRSP), Aga Khan Education Services Pakistan (AKESP), Aga Khan Health Services (AKHS), Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH), Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKAM) and Aga Khan Agency for Microfinance (AKFED) are some of main agencies serving the people of Pakistan.
Aga Khan Higher Secondary School, Chitral
These institutions made transformative contributions to the society that was in dire need in Gilgit Baltistan and Chitral. Prior to his visit to Gilgit Baltistan and Chitral in 1960, the area was lagging behind in every walk of life, particularly education, healthcare together with poverty. He took it upon himself to change this situation for better. His immediate task, according to his own words, was “to enable these people who live in the northern areas to live here at a standard of living at par with Pakistan. In other words, they should first catch up with the national standard of living.”
Prince Karim Aga Khan, his wife, Princess Salimah, and their son, Rahim Aga Khan, in 1972.
Thus, Aga Khan Education Services Pakistan (AKESP) spread a network of schools across Gilgit Baltistan and Chitral to realize his vision with a particular emphasis on girls’ education. According to AKES Pakistan, “the majority of schools, 148 (out of total 153), are in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral, and provide quality educational access to approximately 40,000 students, of which almost 50 percent are female.” These schools are a hub for holistic development with an emphasis on Information Technology (IT) and the emerging sciences and technologies. It is aided by the Professional Development Center North (PDCN) to train teachers from government and private schools, to impart student centric teaching methods that increase the productivity of both students and teachers.
Students at Aga Khan Higher Secondary School, Hunza.
Aga Khan Health Services (AKHS) is another critical institution serving Pakistan and Gilgit Baltistan with its vast network of hospitals and health centres. These health centres are located in every major town and city of Gilgit Baltistan and Chitral offering maternity, prenatal, neonatal and nutrition care to the low-income households. As HH Aga Khan IV remarked, “improving maternal, neonatal and child health should be one of the highest priorities on the global development agenda.” They have helped reduce infant and maternal mortality rate with its critical interventions in these sectors. Apart from these, Aga Khan Hospital, Karachi, is a premiere hospital offering world class care to patients from all across the country.
Princess Zahra and Prince Rahim inaugurated the Aga Khan Medical Centre in Gilgit in 2016.
In 1982, Aga Khan Foundation started AKRSP to improve the socio-economic conditions of the people of Gilgit Baltistan and Chitral. They introduced new agriculture techniques that increased productivity and minimized damage to crops, fruits and vegetables. They funded and promoted community led projects for new irrigation channels, which were prone to be swept away by torrential rains earlier. They built roads, bridges and micro hydel projects that were instrumental for the development of the rugged mountainous terrain of Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral. Training people in capacity building, human resource, supply chain networks via workshops and seminars are a vital part of AKRSP. Thus, its mission is to develop both the social and economic capital of people to make them self-reliant.
Elders welcome Prince Karim Aga Khan in Hunza, 1960.
To address the threat of climate change, Aga Khan Agency for Habitat was established. HH Aga Khan said its purpose is to “find innovative ways to address the threat of natural disaster and work to make communities resilient.” This agency helps in disaster preparedness and response, habitat planning, water and sanitation and safe and sustainable construction. Pakistan has more than 7000 glaciers in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral, the most outside polar region, which are in an alarming situation as Pakistan is the 5th most vulnerable country in the world to climate change. AKAH helps Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral build “capabilities in energy and water efficiency, green energy and sustainable materials.”
Aga Khan Higher Secondary School, Gilgit
Aga Khan Trust for Culture is one of the most important parts of AKDN as it preserves and promotes the cultural heritage to showcase it to the world. AKTC renovates old worn-out structures of historic buildings, supports musical heritage and an annual ‘Aga Khan Award for Architecture’ that addresses the aspirations of the people. In Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral, AKTC has renovated the Altit, Baltit, Shigar and Khaplu Forts in their original form to connect the people with their history. The Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED) “is an international development agency dedicated to promoting entrepreneurship and building economically sound enterprises in the developing world.” With a vast network of banks, hotels and media groups and investments in other portfolios, AKFED reinvests the profit from these businesses into their other non-profit community programmes.
In addition to the development work carried out via his institutions, HH Aga Khan’ role as a selfless, pluralistic, accommodating and peace-loving leader is often under appreciated. He stressed unity, peace, coexistence and selfless service to humanity. He embodied the teachings of Islam with his words and actions alike. He left a lasting legacy of hope and empowerment. His death garnered global attention, with condolences pouring in from heads of states as well as Secretary General, UN. President and Prime Minister of Pakistan expressed their deep sorrow over the tragic death of such a towering figure of the world and thanked him for his services to the country. Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in its statement said, “The Government of Pakistan has declared 8 February 2025 as a day of national mourning on the occasion of the funeral of Prince Karim Aga Khan.” In a time of such uncertainty and chaos, the world needs to follow his footsteps to have a better future for the upcoming generations.
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