Prepared and compiled by MALIK MERCHANT
Anchor links covering pre-arrival notes related to His Highness Prince Rahim Aga Khan’s visit to Pakistan from May 20 to 26, 2026
- April 24, 2026: His Highness the Aga Khan announces official visit to Pakistan.
- 2016-2024: Historical Notes (Prince Rahim’s visits in 2016, 2018 and 2024)
- 1961: Mawlana Shah Karim visits Hunza
- Supplication to the Imam-of-the-Time
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April 24, 2026: Announcement of His Highness the Aga Khan’s visit to Pakistan
In a Talika Mubarak read in Jamatkhanas worldwide on April 24, 2026, and reported on the Ismaili website on April 25, Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, announced his upcoming official visit to Pakistan from May 20 to 26, 2026, at the invitation of the Government of Pakistan. During the visit, he will meet with the Jamat residing in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral, as well as government officials in Islamabad. Hazar Imam also expressed his intention to visit again in the near future to meet with the Jamat in Central and Southern Pakistan.
The historic visit to Pakistan will be the Ismaili Imam’s eighth to his spiritual children since becoming the Imam on February 4, 2025, following his recent visits to France, Kenya, Uganda, the USA, Portugal, the UK and Canada (click the links for Barakah’s special coverage of the seven visits).
We heartily congratulate the Jamat of Pakistan and share their excitement for this event. We are fully committed to providing comprehensive coverage of the visit, ensuring that our readers worldwide are well-informed, as we did for Mawlana Hazar Imam’s earlier visits. This post is dedicated to pre-arrival news and events in Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral regions.
A separate post dedicated to Mawlana Hazar Imam’s visit will be published once he commences his visit to Pakistan.
External coverage:
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2018-2024: Historical Notes — Prince Rahim Aga Khan in Pakistan
2024
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“I am honoured to accept such a distinguished award on behalf of the Aga Khan Development Network, my colleagues, our staff, and the many volunteers who work tirelessly to improve the lives of the people of Pakistan. I express my warmest gratitude to the President and Government of Pakistan for this immense recognition.” — Prince Rahim Aga Khan
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For more details about the 2024 visit, please click HERE.
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2018
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For more details about the 2018 visit, please click HERE.
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2016
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For more details about the 2016 visit, please click HERE.
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1961
Mawlana Shah Karim’s Historic Visit to Hunza
For more on this 1961 historic visit, please click HERE.
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Ginan: A perennial supplication to the Imam-of-the-Time from all his spiritual children worldwide
Transliteration
Eji, Aash Karine Ya Ali hun tere dar ubhi,
Kar jodine em mangu Ya Shah;
Dejo didar tusi mahavar datar Shah,
Hama tere charane lagu.
Translation
With hope I stand at Thy door,
O Ali! And sincerely beg of Thee;
Bless me with Thy Holy Didar,
O Great Lord and Benefactor!
At Thy Feet I fall to prostrate
and
O Exalted Islam Shah [Imam-of-the-Time]
Our Lord and Master of the Age,
To you our hearts devoutly supplicate,
O the Eternal King and Lord of our souls!
Grace us with your visit to the Indian Subcontinent
[The Imam’s base at the time was in Iran.]
O Ali! You are Eternal,
You are the Lord of Eternity.
You alone are the Knower of the End,
Of the End that has no End
(Verses from Venti Ginan and Anant Akhado composed by Pir Hasan Kabirdin)
Date posted: April 27, 2026
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