Friday, January 22, 2010 – Ishrat Hyatt – Islamabad
To bid farewell to Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Al-Nashir Jamal and his spouse Tazeem and to welcome his successor Dr. Karim Alibhai, AKF (Pakistan) Chairman Badaruddin Vellani hosted a reception-dinner at the Serena Hotel. The Jamals are a popular and well-liked couple and the fact that so many senior diplomats and members of civil society responded to the invitation was testimony to their popularity.
Welcoming his guests, the host said Nashir had been the CEO for the past five years and during this period the foundation had faced many challenges, which have been admirably handled by Nashir, who brought together a team of professionals to implement the work of the foundation. During this period, the AKF raised and expended over US $100 million from over 20 donors on a wide range of projects. “Nashir has been instrumental in leading our team to think out of the box to develop strategies for multi-input area development and I would like to thank him for his hard work and efforts and wish him and his wife all the best for the future,” he said, “with the hope that they take fond memories of Pakistan and their time with AKF.”
Of the new CEO, he said, Dr. Karim holds a PhD in Waste Water Management and has been a faculty member at the Imperial College, London. He has over 25 years experience in 22 countries in development work and his expertise extends from water and sanitation to public and private infrastructure initiatives; primary health care; environmental engineering; renewable energy; village level planning and sustainable livelihoods programming. Until recently he was CHF’s director for Asia.
Aga Khan Council for Pakistan President Iqbal Walji began his speech by saying he was pleased to be present on the occasion as it was a means to reacquaint friendships. Adding that His Highness the Aga Khan enunciated the objectives of his Golden Jubilee as Imam of the Ismaili Muslims with three objectives, he said his first aspiration was to see poverty replaced by an environment which offered hope; his second to see governments producing ‘enabling environments’ where ‘society can function and grow,’ and the third to see solid institutional building because ‘societies need institutional capacity.’
Ismailimail 