Photo Credit: Featured photograph at top of post — the Government of the UK.
In a Tweet dated September 4, 2022, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed his indebtedness to Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, for contributing US $10 million for relief efforts following the severe flooding in Pakistan. He said on his Twitter page:
“Deeply indebted to His Highness the Aga Khan for contribution of $10 million for the flood victims in Pakistan. In a telephonic chat with Prince Rahim Aga Khan today, I requested His Highness to play his role in raising awareness about flood situation in international community.”
The announcement of the contribution was also reported in the media. Bol News in a report dated September 4, said:
“The son of Prince Karim Agha Khan, Prince Rahim telephoned Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and conveyed the message of good wishes of Prince Karim Agha Khan to him.
“The prince also expressed his sorrow over the losses of human lives and properties and devastation caused by the floods….All institutions of the Agha Khan Development Network have been instructed to fully participate in relief and rehabilitation activities in flood-hit areas.”
On Tuesday August 30, 2022 the United Nations and Pakistan issued an appeal for $160 million in emergency funding to help millions affected by record-breaking floods that have killed more than 1,150 people.
The websites of the Aga Khan Development Network and the Ismaili community both published the following press release regarding the Ismaili Imamat’s donation to Pakistan’s flood relief efforts.
Ismaili Imamat Donates US $10 Million to Pakistan Flood Relief Efforts
Lisbon, Portugal, September 4, 2022: The Ismaili Imamat has announced it will be donating US$10 million to support relief efforts following the severe flooding in Pakistan. $5m will be donated directly to the Government of Pakistan while a further $5m will be provided to the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) agencies in the country, which are engaged in the relief efforts.
The donation comes following a discussion on Sunday between the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr. Shahbaz Sharif, and Prince Rahim Aga Khan, Chair of AKDN’s Environment and Climate Committee and eldest son of His Highness the Aga Khan, the 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims.
Prince Rahim said “I am deeply concerned about the impact of the current floods in Pakistan, which have been intensified by the effects of climate change. These floods, and the many other weather events we are experiencing around the world, require us all — governments, businesses, communities, and individuals — to redouble our efforts to combat the climate crisis which threatens to engulf us. The institutions of the Ismaili Imamat have been mobilised to support the government in its relief and rehabilitation efforts.”
During the discussion, the Prime Minister expressed appreciation on behalf of the people and Government of Pakistan for the unwavering support of the Ismaili Imamat and the AKDN institutions. He also expressed his deepest respects for the work that the AKDN institutions have been delivering in Pakistan since its independence.
The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat and FOCUS are AKDN’s lead response agencies for relief efforts. To date over 8,000 people have been successfully evacuated from affected areas while more than 4,000 families have been provided with food packages since the start of the flooding. Healthcare camps have been set up in several parts of the country by the Aga Khan University and Aga Khan Health Service where over 2,000 flood affected people have been given assistance.
HBL Bank and Jubilee Life Insurance, both part of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development portfolio, have been active supporters in the relief efforts providing food rations and waterproof tents to over 12,000 families. Additionally, social safety payments by the Government of Pakistan are being disbursed to over 1 million people through HBL’s Konnect platform.
AKDN Helicopter operations have also been assisting in rescue missions and supporting the delivery of food items and medicines to remote areas in Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Date posted: September 4, 2022.
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Anna Bell should realise that H. H. The Aga Khan is not a government like the US. He is a leader of the Ismaili Community. The US Government’s aid of US$13.3billion per annum to Pakistan is for ultimate political benefit of the U.S. How many and how much Western Christian churches / communities have contributed towards the Pakistan flood relief. I am sure the Vatican is more richer than the Aga Khan. Her white right wing attitude reflects her mentality towards the Aga Khan and the Muslim World. I wonder how much has she personally committed to the said relief?
So Pakistan is so overjoyed to receive a paltry $10million from a man worth 13.3 Billion? Yet USA gives nearly 1 Billion Dollars each year to Pakistan and we can’t even get co-operation weeding out terrorists? It seems that only so called Christian nations are the ones helping Muslims. Many of the richest nations on earth such as Saudi and UAE seem to give practically nothing to their own brothers and sisters. https://www.wristband.com/content/which-countries-provide-receive-most-foreign-aid/
The Aga Khan heads the Aga Khan Development Network and its annual budget for non-profit development activities is approximately US$ 1billion. Please visit http://www.akdn.org to learn about the networks multifarious activities around the world. See FAQ at https://www.akdn.org/about-us/frequently-asked-questions
One could state in this specific case of flood relief, that the US donation of $30 million is also paltry. The total appeal made jointly by the UN and Pakistan last week for flood relief was $160 million. In that context, the Aga Khan’s contributions is 6.25%, and the US government’s 18.75%.