- Ismaili spiritual leader to be laid to rest in Egypt tomorrow.
- Pakistan observing national day of mourning.
- Prince Rahim Aga Khan named 50th hereditary Imam.
The funeral of Prince Karim al-Hussaini Aga Khan IV, the 49th hereditary Imam of the Ismaili community, was held in Lisbon on Saturday. He passed away at the age of 88 four days ago.
Pakistan is observing a national day of mourning today on the occasion of Prince Karim’s private funeral, held at the Ismaili community centre in the Portuguese capital. He will be laid to rest in Egypt’s Aswan tomorrow.
The national flag is flying at half-mast throughout the country, as per the federal government’s announcement two days ago.
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb attended Prince Karim’s funeral prayers in Lisbon and also expressed heartfelt condolences on behalf of the president, prime minister and the nation to Prince Rahim during a meeting, an official statement read.
Aurangzeb lauded the services of the late Prince Karim and the AKDN which has a focus on the development of human capacity, generating economic growth, building resilient communities and honouring cultural heritage.
He said the sad demise of Prince Karim was a monumental loss not only for his family, friends and followers but also for the underprivileged and destitute people of the world.
He recalled late Prince Karim’s special attachment to Pakistan and its people.
Following Prince Karim’s demise, the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) announced Prince Rahim al-Hussaini Aga Khan has been named the 50th hereditary Imam.
The late spiritual leader of the Ismaili community left behind three sons, Rahim Aga Khan, Aly Muhammad Aga Khan, and Hussain Aga Khan, and a daughter, Zahra Aga Khan.
Karim was born in Switzerland and spent his childhood in Nairobi and graduated from Harvard University with a BA Honors Degree in Islamic History.
He assumed imamat at the age of 20 years in 1957 after succeeding his grandfather, Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan III.
He was widely known for his welfare services in different regions of Asia and Africa via his network of private development agencies, AKDN.
In recognition of his service, Prince Karim received 44 international awards, including honorary Canadian citizenship and the UN Champion for Global Change Award, and was the recipient of 24 honorary degrees from leading institutions such as Cambridge, Harvard and McGill, according to the AKDN website.
He had also given exemplary services for the development of Pakistan and in recognition of his outstanding services, he received the country’s highest civilian decorations — Nishan-i-Imtiaz in 1970 and Nishan-i-Pakistan in 1983.
With additional input from APP
