ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): Prince Shah Rahim Al-Hussaini Aga Khan V, the spiritual leader of the Ismaili community, has arrived in Pakistan for the first time since assuming the Imamate.
Islamabad has been adorned with welcoming banners on the occasion of his coming to Pakistan.
Prince Rahim Aga Khan arrived at Nur Khan Airbase for a 6-day official visit, where he was received by President Asif Ali Zardari and other high-ranking officials.
According to sources, Prince Rahim Aga Khan will hold meetings with President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and other high-ranking officials in federal capital Islamabad.
The government is giving the visit an extraordinary importance. Welcoming banners have been displayed on major thoroughfares from the airport to the city in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, prominently featuring images of Prince Rahim Aga Khan alongside President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
This is the first visit by Prince Shah Rahim Al-Hussaini, the spiritual leader and 50th Imam of the Ismailis to Pakistan since assuming the Imamate. There is an atmosphere of celebration within the Ismaili community.
During his first visit, Prince Rahim will spend most of his time in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral.
According to the schedule released by the Ismaili Council, Prince Rahim will stay in Islamabad for one day, while he will be in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral from May 21 to May 25, where he will meet and grant audience to the Ismaili community at various locations.
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He will begin his visit to Gilgit-Baltistan on May 21 and arrive in Gupis, Gilgit-Baltistan, where he will grant audience to his followers in Tawoos.
On May 22, events will be held in Pasu, Hunza, and Gahkuch; on May 23 in Broghil Lasht, Upper Chitral; and on May 25, again in Broghil and later in Garam Chashma, Lower Chitral. During this time, he will also review various development projects.
Arrangements in Upper Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan have been finalized, while security and logistical arrangements have been further tightened.
Special arrangements are also being made for the movement of people with special needs. According to the Ismaili Council, four Ismaili volunteers will be assigned to each person with special needs to facilitate them from arrival to departure.
According to sources, during this visit, Prince Rahim Aga Khan will not hold collective meetings with the Ismaili community in cities including Karachi and Islamabad, due to which a large number of Ismaili individuals from Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan are heading to their native areas to participate in the audience.
Celebrations have already begun in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral, and welcoming gates have been set up at various locations, while camps have been established everywhere to facilitate the followers.
