Malik Merchant, Editor

Special coverage of His Highness the Aga Khan’s historic visit to Pakistan: President Asif Ali Zardari welcomes the 50th Ismaili Imam at the airport and hosts a banquet in his honour, attended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif

Aga Khan at state banquet
Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, 2nd from the right, with (l to r) Field Marshal and Chief of Defence Forces, Syed Asim Munir, Chairman of the Senate, Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz at the state banquet hosted in his honour at Aiwan-e-Sadr, the President’s official residence in Islamabad, May 20, 2026. Photograph: AKDN / Akber Hakim.

Prepared and compiled by MALIK MERCHANT

MAY 20-26, 2026: ANCHOR LINKS COVERING HIS HIGHNESS THE AGA KHAN’S OFFICIAL VISIT TO PAKISTAN

This page focuses solely on His Highness the Aga Khan’s visit to Pakistan from May 20 to 26, 2026. Pre-arrival details are available on a separate page HERE. The anchor links to our daily coverage of the visit are listed below:

(1) HIS HIGHNESS THE AGA KHAN IN ISLAMABAD

May 20, 2026: His Highness the Aga Khan is honoured with a state banquet by the President of Pakistan

Aga Khan at state banquet
President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir accompany Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, at a state banquet at Aiwan-e-Sadr in Islamabad, May 20, 2026. Photograph: Photo: AKDN / Akbar Hakim.

In his first visit to Pakistan as the 50th Hereditary Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan attended a dinner on May 20, 2026, hosted in his honour by the President of Pakistan, His Excellency Asif Ali Zardari, at Aiwan-e-Sadr, the President’s official residence.

Guests at the banquet included Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Field Marshal and Chief of Defence Forces Syed Asim Munir, Chairman of the Senate Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani, Speaker of the National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, and Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah. Also in attendance were federal ministers, members of parliament and members of the diplomatic community.

In his earlier visit to Pakistan in 2024, President Zardari conferred upon him the Nishan-e-Pakistan, the nation’s highest civilian award, in recognition of his family’s longstanding contributions to the country. Mawlana Shah Karim, His Late Highness Aga Khan IV, received the same honour in 1983.

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May 20, 2026: His Highness the Aga Khan receives a presidential welcome upon arriving in Pakistan

Prince Rahim Aga Khan arrives in Pakistan
Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, is presented with a bouquet of flowers by a young Ismaili volunteer upon his arrival in Islamabad to begin his seven-day official visit to Pakistan. Looking on is President Zardari, who welcomed the 50th Ismaili Imam upon his arrival, May 20, 2026. Photograph: IPL / Akber Hakim.

In his first visit to Pakistan as the 50th Hereditary Imam of the Shia Imam Ismailis, Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, arrived in Islamabad today on an official visit to Pakistan, at the invitation of the government. He was welcomed at the airport by the President of Pakistan His Excellency Asif Ali Zardari and his daughter First Lady Aseefa Bhutto Zardari. Also present were Attaullah Tarar, Federal Minister for Information; Saleem Mandviwalla, Member of the Senate; Nizar Mewawalla, President of the Ismaili Council for Pakistan; Sultan Ali Allana, Director of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development; and a delegation of Jamati leaders.

Aga Khan Guard of Honour
Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, is presented with a guard of honour upon arrival at Aiwan-e-Sadr, the President’s official residence, May 20, 2026. Photograph: AKDN / Rahil Imtiaz Ali.

President Zardari and Mawlana Hazar Imam then travelled together to Aiwan-e-Sadr, the President’s official residence, where a formal guard of honour was presented.

In the days ahead, Mawlana Hazar Imam will meet with Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and other senior government officials in the capital, before travelling to Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral to spend time with the Ismaili Jamat (community) in the Northern Areas of the country, home to a large concentration of Ismailis.

External coverage: Please click the following links for additional coverage of Mawlana Hazar Imam’s arrival in Pakistan and the state banquet held in his honour on May 20, 2026:

Post(s) on X

Date posted: May 20, 2026.

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