IMAMAT DAY
His Highness the Aga Khan IV

Imamat Day is a special day for Ismaili Muslims. It is celebrated July 11 every year. On the occasion of Imamat Day, every Ismaili Muslim around the world, rejoice this occasion with their families, friends and relatives and we congratulate everybody around the world from the bottom of our heart on this delighted occasion of Imamat Day.

His Highness the Aga Khan (Shah Karim) became Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims on July 11, 1957 at the age of 20, succeeding his grandfather, Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan III. He is the 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims and a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) through his cousin and son-in-law, Imam Ali (Karamullah Hu Wajahu).

His Highness the Aga Khan, Son of Prince Aly Khan and Princess Tajuddawlah Aly Khan was born on December 13, 1936, in Geneva. He spent his early childhood in Nairobi, Kenya, and then attended Le Rosey School in Switzerland for nine years. He graduated from Harvard University in 1959 with a BA Honors Degree in Islamic history.

Like his grandfather Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan III assuming the office of Imamat in 1957, been concerned about the well-being of all Muslims, particularly in the face of the challenges of rapid historical changes. Today, the Ismailis live in more than twenty-five countries, mainly in West, Central Asia, Africa and the Middle East, as well as in North America and Western Europe. Over the four decades since the present Aga Khan became Imam, there have been major political and economic changes in most of these areas. He has adapted the complex system of administering the Ismaili Community, pioneered by his grandfather during the colonial era, to a new world of nation-states, which even recently has grown in size and complexity following the newly acquired independence of the Central Asian Republics.

View of Islam:
The Aga Khan has emphasised the view of Islam as a thinking, spiritual faith, one that teaches compassion and tolerance and that upholds the dignity of man, Allah's noblest creation. In the Shia tradition of Islam, it is the mandate of the Imam of the time to safeguard the individual's right to
personal intellectual search and to give practical expression to the ethical vision of society that the Islamic message inspires. Aga Khan said that the wisdom of Allah's final Prophet in seeking new solutions for problems which could not be solved by traditional methods provides the inspiration for Muslims to conceive a truly modern and dynamic society, without affecting the fundamental concepts of Islam said in Karachi 1976.
During the course of history, the Ismailis have, under the guidance of their Imams, made contributions to the growth of Islamic civilisation. Al-Azhar University and the Academy of Science, Dar al-Ilm, in Cairo and indeed the city of Cairo itself, exemplify their contributions to the cultural, religious and intellectual life of Muslims. Among the renowned philosophers, jurists, physicians, mathematicians, astronomers and scientists of the past who flourished under the patronage of Ismaili Imams are Qadi al-Numan, al-Kirmani, Ibn al-Haytham (al-Hazen), Nasir e-Khusraw and Nasir al-Din Tusi.

The tradition of International service:
In recent generations, the Aga Khan's family has followed a tradition of service in international affairs. The Aga Khan's grandfather was President of the League of Nations and his father, Prince Aly Khan, was Pakistan's Ambassador to the United Nations. His uncle, Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, has been United Nations' High Commissioner for Refugees, United Nations' Coordinator for assistance to Afghanistan and United Nations' Executive Delegate of the Iraq-Turkey border areas. The Aga Khan's brother, Prince Amyn, entered the United Nations Secretariat, Department of Economic and Social Affairs following his graduation from Harvard in 1965. Since 1968, Prince Amyn has been closely involved with the governance of the principal development institutions of the Imamat. The Aga Khan's eldest child and daughter, Princess Zahra, who graduated from Harvard in 1994 with a BA Honors Degree in Third World Development Studies, has coordination responsibilities relating to specific social development institutions of the Imamat and is based at his Secretariat. His elder son, Prince Rahim, who graduated from Brown University (USA) in 1995, has similar responsibilities in respect of the Imamat's economic development institutions. His younger son, Prince Hussain, who graduated from Williams College (USA) in 1997, has recently joined the Secretariat and is involved in the cultural activities of the Network.

In agreement with this vision of Islam and their tradition of service to humanity, wherever Ismailis live, they have elaborated a well-defined institutional framework to carry out social, economic and cultural activities. Under the Aga Khan's leadership, this framework has expanded and evolved into the Aga Khan Development Network, a group of institutions working to improve living conditions and opportunities in specific regions of the developing world. In every country, these institutions work for the common good of all citizens regardless of their origin or religion. Their individual mandates range from architecture, education and health to the promotion of private sector enterprise, the enhancement of non-government organisations and rural development.

Aga Khan services in Chitral:
Addressing to a public gathering over 120,000 on Dec 4, 2003, He said, �Over the year ahead, we will work together to change the quality and future of the economy of Chitral�. He says, �Nothing that much more needs to be done by your children and grand children.

Further, Aga Khan (His Highness) stressed �Nothing the diversity of interpretations in Islam, the Aga khan underlined that anyone who recognizes the Shahada is a Muslim and we all are brothers and sisters who should work together to build a common future. �It is essential, he stressed �that, we all come together in a common space for reflection to make solutions applicable and available to all people�.

Aga Khan Health services:
The first institution in the Aga khan health services, Pakistan (AKHSP) was a 45.bed maternity hospital formally known as Janbai Maternity Home which opened in Karachi in 1924.
As a largest non profit private health care system in Pakistan, its goal is to supplement in Pakistan the government�s effort in health care provision, especially in the areas of maternal and child health and primary health care.
There are approximately 22 Aga Khan Health centers in Chitral, which are open to all. Since it began, the Aga Khan (AKHSP) has trained 313 community Health workers and 389 birth traditional attendants in Chitral.

AKRSP in Chitral:
The overall goal of the organization has been to improve the socio-economic condition of the people in Chitral through a variety of interventions. In 1982, AKRSP first time introduced in Chitral has been a profound impact on improving the lives of the people of this region.
AKRSP is now 24 years old and well positioned to learn from the development experience of the last two decades and contribute to the current development practice and policy. There is a large wealth of information and real life lessons found in the lives of beneficences and within the institutional memory of the program that deserves to be
acknowledged and shared of the outside world.
There are two main offices in Chitral. AKRSP consists of approximately 900 employees are engaged day and night for the development of Chitral without any discrimination under the authorization of BOD and managed by the GM and the PM.
The purpose of AKRSP is to support including international development, participatory, National resources, management, infrastructures, women�s development and etc.
The impact of the program on the livelihoods of the people of Chitral has been remarkable in terms of containable livelihoods improvement through income enhancement, asset creation, poverty reduction and etc.

Aga Khan Education Services, Chitral:
The symbol of the Aga Khan Education service is based on the form of an open book containing a double image of the word (IQRA), to read from, of the first revelation of Allah to Prophet Mohammad ( peace be upon him). ( sura 96: verse 1-5 of the holy Quran).
The purpose of this education is to educate the people of Chitral especially the girls, so they can enhance their education based on Healthy Living and international learning.
There are now 154 Aga Khan School in Chitral district and the northern areas. The first school in chital was raised by the Ismaili Community in 1946. The Aga Khan schools are open to all without any origin, religion and cast.

In conclusion, we once again congratulate all over Ismaili brothers and sisters happy Imamat Day and may their lives be filled with happiness and prosperity. (Ameen)

Sincerely,
Bushra Aman
102York Land St Unit 65
Richmond Hill ON L4S 1A1
Canada.