By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcomed Prince Rahim al-Hussaini Aga Khan V to a breakfast meeting in Islamabad on Thursday, the new spiritual leader’s first trip to Pakistan since he became the 50th hereditary Imam of the global Ismaili Muslim community earlier this year.
The encounter, hosted by the prime minister, underscored the government’s desire to expand a longstanding partnership with the Aga Khan Development Network, the vast humanitarian and development organization built by Prince Rahim’s late father. Pakistani officials view the network as a critical partner in some of the country’s most climate-vulnerable regions, where melting glaciers, flooding and environmental stress have intensified in recent years.
Prince Rahim succeeded his father, Prince Karim al-Hussaini Aga Khan IV, in February 2025 after the elder Aga Khan died in Lisbon at age 88. Prince Karim had led the Ismaili community for nearly seven decades and forged unusually close ties with Pakistan, where the Ismaili community has deep roots and the development network maintains an extensive presence.
According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, Sharif opened the meeting by expressing appreciation for Prince Rahim’s personal commitment to fostering peace, stability, and constructive engagement with governments and international partners. He assured the prince that Pakistan shared those goals.
The prime minister highlighted the Aga Khan Development Network’s decades of work across Pakistan, particularly in the remote northern areas of Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral. The network has supported programs in rural development, health care, education, disaster resilience, climate adaptation, renewable energy, digital skills training, and youth entrepreneurship. Sharif described the organization’s institutional presence and community outreach in those regions as “highly valued,” especially in remote and vulnerable communities.
The premier encouraged the network to deepen and expand its activities in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral. He also welcomed stronger collaboration with the Aga Khan University, which has made significant contributions to health care and higher education in Pakistan.
Recognising Prince Rahim’s advocacy for environmental stewardship, the prime minister described the Aga Khan Development Network as “a natural and trusted partner” in Pakistan’s efforts to build climate resilience, particularly in the glacially vulnerable northern areas where climate change is accelerating glacier melt and related hazards.
Sharif thanked Prince Rahim for making the Serena Hotel available free of charge for the recent Islamabad Talks. He also extended formal condolences on the death of Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, paying tribute to his father’s “enduring humanitarian legacy” and his nearly seven-decade association with Pakistan.
As a gesture of appreciation, the prime minister presented Prince Rahim with a commemorative postage stamp issued by Pakistan Post to honor the late Aga Khan’s services to the country. Sharif told his guest that Pakistan would “always remain his second home” and expressed hope that regular visits by Prince Rahim would further strengthen the bonds between Pakistan and the Ismaili community.
Prince Rahim, according to the Prime Minister’s Office statement, thanked Sharif for the warm welcome and expressed his desire to continue cooperation with Pakistan in various human development initiatives.
The meeting came as Pakistani authorities increasingly look to international and private partners to help address the compounding effects of climate change in the Hindu Kush and Karakoram ranges. The Aga Khan Development Network has long operated in some of the most isolated valleys of Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral, areas where state services have historically been limited. Its projects have ranged from building schools and clinics to introducing renewable energy systems and training programs that aim to improve livelihoods while preparing communities for more frequent natural disasters.
Thursday’s gathering marked a symbolic passing of the baton in one of Pakistan’s most consistent institutional partnerships. For nearly 70 years, the elder Aga Khan maintained a personal and organizational connection to the country that few other foreign figures could match. His son’s first official visit as Imam signaled continuity rather than change, officials said.
No new financial commitments or specific project announcements were detailed in the Prime Minister’s Office statement. But the language used by both sides suggested that Islamabad hopes to broaden the network’s role in climate adaptation and human development work in the north, where the Aga Khan organization’s local knowledge and community trust are seen as particular assets.
Prince Rahim’s visit is expected to be the first of several, according to the statement, as the new spiritual leader seeks to maintain and strengthen the ties his father cultivated over a lifetime.
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