29 October 2008, 16:40
CA-NEWS (KZ) – His Highness the Aga Khan is visiting Kazakhstan from October 28 to 31, Erzhan Ashikbaev, spokesperson of the Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told news conference in Astana.
The goal of this visit to exchange views concerning further expansion of cooperation between Kazakhstan and the Aga Khan Development Network in human resources, regional stability, fostering pluralism and inter-civilization dialogue and understanding.
His Highness the Aga Khan became Imam (spiritual leader) of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims on July 11, 1957 at the age of 20, succeeding his grandfather, Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan. 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, Ali, the first Imam, and his wife Fatima, the Prophet’s daughter.
Founded and guided by His Highness the Aga Khan, the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) brings together a number of development agencies, institutions, and programmes that work primarily in the poorest parts of Asia and Africa. AKDN is a contemporary endeavour of the Ismaili Imamat to realise the social conscience of Islam through institutional action. AKDN agencies conduct their programmes without regard to the faith, origin or gender.
Ismailimail 