Well, the principal responsibilities of the Aga Khan are of course duties as the Imam of the Ismaili community. These duties are duties involved with religion and propagation of the principles. These are certainly directly connected with the Imam. But at the same time over history, over a period of years, my grandfather and his ancestors took upon themselves to help the community in the secular fields of life

Our 44th Holy Imam Abul Hassan Ali reigned on the Masnad of Imamat from A.H. 1143 to 1194. Imam Abul Hassan Ali took an active part in the governance of Iran at a time when the Safavi dynasty had come to an end and the new ruler Nadir Shah had taken over control. According to "Gulzar-e-Shamsh" Imam Abul Hassan Ali was born in Babak in Iran and was also known as Sayyed Shah Muhammad Hassanshah Hassanbeg. He lived in Kiyab, Iran and from there he arrived in Hindustan with Nadir Shah who also made Imam the ruler of Kerman district in Iran.

A fundamental premise of the AKDN is that development is a multifaceted process that must be approached from multiple perspectives and requires long-term engagement. The structure and approach of the Network is a response to this understanding of development. It is comprised of a number of agencies with specific mandates and expertise

Asked whether he was also of the view that Arabic should be the national language of Pakistan as the late Aga Khan had suggested once, the young Prince Karim said that every Muslim must know Arabic, but also every country must preserve its national heritage and as such it was not advisable to adopt, without preparation, any new language, as a national language