Our Community

Striking a harmonious balance between one’s spiritual and worldly pursuits has always been an aspiration for Ismailis worldwide. Mawlana Hazar Imam has consistently emphasised the importance of maintaining this equilibrium. Meet Ali Baig, hailing from Yasin Tehsil Ghizer District, who is the Honourable Chief Justice of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB). Chief Justice Baig serves as a shining example of this fundamental principle. Throughout his illustrious professional journey, he has actively contributed to various Jamati institutions in diverse roles, embodying the essence of this balance.

Hailing from Hundur, a remote valley of Yasin in Gilgit-Baltistan, Noor ul Ain is a student at the Ismailia Youth Service (IYS) in Karachi. She is an alumnus of the Bridge Programme and now mentor students at the Gahkuch Bridge Camp 2023. From the humble beginnings as a student of the Bridge Programme to becoming an advisor, her journey is an inspiration and shows the positive impact of the Aga Khan Education Board’s initiative of improving quality of life through education.

An eminent Muslim leader, thinker and reformer of the 19th century, Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah, Aga Khan III was born in Karachi on the 2nd of November 1877.  It is reported that when the Aga Khan I received word of his birth, he had replied, “Name him Sultan,” as he would earn a “distinguished position in the world.” Through Imam Sultan Mahomed Shah’s remarkable achievements over his lifetime, we learned this to be true.

Sepak Takraw, a unique sport, also known as kick volleyball, is a team sport, played with a ball made of rattan or synthetic plastic, between two teams of two to four players on a court, resembling a badminton court. Unlike volleyball, in Sepak Takraw, players are not allowed to use their hands to play with the ball and are required to use their feet, head, knees and chest to volley the ball. An emerging sport in Pakistan, Sarfaraz Rehman and Deedar Rani Durdana Khan represented Pakistan at the King’s Cup Sepak Takraw World Championship in Thailand.

For more than a century, the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) and its predecessor institutions have worked for under-developed communities in Asia and Africa to enhance their quality of life. The role of Imamat in the development of the subcontinent goes back to the time of Imam Sultan Mahomed Shah, who was a stalwart of education. He advocated for quality education and supported the Aligarh University Movement by providing funds, leadership and guidance. By establishing the first Aga Khan School in Gwardar in 1905, Imam Sultan Mahomed Shah laid the foundation of AKDN more than a century ago.