Luís Amado has been appointed by the Government of Portugal to lead the Portuguese delegation to the Ismaili Imamat and in this capacity he will  be a bridge between the Portuguese Republic and the Ismaili Imamat led by His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan.

Lisbon, Portugal. 4 July 2016, 10:34 local time

Luís Amado was the name chosen by the Government Executive to lead the Portuguese Delegation that will ensure the implementation of the agreement between the Aga Khan Foundation and the Portuguese government.

The appointment by former Foreign Minister José Sócrates and former chairman of Banif is published in the Journal of the Republic today with the signing of the current foreign minister, Augusto Santos Silva. In addition to Luís Amado, Mário Jesus dos Santos and João Pedro Lourenço Antunes are also named. The three names will be part of the Joint Committee, which shall contain a further three members appointed by the Ismaili Imamat, His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan.

In all, six members make up the designated “Joint Committee” according to the agreement signed in 2015 between Portugal and the Ismaili Imamat and ratified in October 2015. The Joint Committee will have two functions: to ensure the implementation of the agreement;  and it also aims to ensure and resolve disputes that may arise, since its jurisdiction is outside the purview of the courts.

The agreement between the Portuguese Government and the Ismaili Imamat was signed in 2015 by the government of Pedro Passos Coelho, with unanimous support across various political parties. Through this agreement the Ismaili Imamat, a religious community with over 15 million Muslims will build its global headquarters in Lisbon that will lead to investments and employment in Portugal. In return, the Ismaili Imamat will receive benefits and prerogatives that are typically guaranteed to a state.

Sources:

• Economico | Luís Amado vai ser o braço do Governo nas relações com príncipe Aga Khan => Luís Amado will be the arm of the Government in relations with Prince Aga Khan
• Negocios | Luís Amado faz a ponte entre o Governo e o príncipe Aga Khan =>Luís Amado is a bridge between the Government and the Prince Aga Khan
• Diário da República => Portuguese Government Official Gazette

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Translation, Research, Insight & Perspective by A. Maherali

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Ismaili Imamat’s Diplomatic Corps

Senior Officials of the global Seat of Ismaili Imamat (Portugal)

• Nazim Ahmad, Head of the Department of Portugal and other Lusophone Countries
• Ambassador Arif Lalani, Head of the Department of Diplomatic Affairs
• Dr Shafik Sachedina, Head of Community Affairs
• Jane Piacentini- Moore, Head of the Department for International Financial Affairs
• Maitre Laurent Chambaz, Head of the Department for International Legal Affairs

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Personal Representatives of the Imam

1. Bangladesh

• Prince Amyn Mohammed Aga Khan is the (Non-Resident) Personal Representative of His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan to Bangladesh.

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2. Canada

• Prince Rahim Aga Khan is the (Non-Resident) Personal Representative of His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan to Canada.
• Canada’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Gordon Campbell, is also Canada’s Ambassador to the Ismaili Imamat.

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Ismaili Imamat’s AKDN Resident Representatives

• Afghanistan: Nurjehan Mawani, Order of Canada
• Bangladesh: Munir M. Merali
• Canada: Dr. Mahmoud Eboo
• East African Community: Mahmood Ahmed (Past AKDN RR to Uganda)
• Kenya: Aziz Bhaloo
• Kyrgyzstan: Dr. Shamsh Kassim-Lakha, Sitara-e-Imtiaz and Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Pakistan), Officier de l ‘Ordre National du Merite (France)
• Portugal, Mozambique and the Lusophone countries: Nazim Ahmad, Comendador da Ordem do Mérito (Commander of the Order of Merit)
• Syria: Mohamed Saifo
• Tajikistan: Ali Akbar Pesnani
• Tanzania: Amin Kurji, Légion d’Honneur (France’s Legion of Honour)
• Uganda: Amin Mawji, Order of the British Empire (OBE)

The Ismaili Imamat’s AKDN Resident Representative is a position similar to an Ambassador. While Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is a non-denominational entity, it is supranational in the context of its reach and operations. AKDN is a contemporary endeavor of the Ismaili Imamat to realize the social conscious of Islam through institutional action and it is inspired by the ethics of Islam as interpreted by the Shia-Alid tradition.

The Aga Khan, 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, 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.

The diplomatic reciprocity AKDN enjoys in the global diplomacy arena speaks of the importance of the contribution, impact and relevance the Ismaili Imamat has in the community of nations in modern times.

According to Wikipedia, an ambassador is an official envoy, especially a highest ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state, or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sovereign or appointed for a special and often temporary diplomatic assignment.

The “ambassadors” to the Commonwealth of Nations are known as High Commissioners and “ambassadors” of the Holy See are known as Papal or Apostolic Nuncios.

Privileged members of the United Nations’ envoy are also appointed with the designation of Resident Representative when seconded as the chief envoy to a given country.

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