Prince Karim Aga Khan’s funeral takes place in Lisbon

The funeral of Prince Karim al-Hussaini Aga Khan IV, the 49th hereditary Imam of the Ismaili Muslim community, was held on Saturday in Lisbon.

He passed away at the age of 88, and his private funeral ceremony took place at the Ismaili community center in the Portuguese capital. The late spiritual leader will be laid to rest in Aswan, Egypt, tomorrow.

In honor of Prince Karim, Pakistan is observing a national day of mourning today. The country’s national flag is flying at half-mast, as declared by the federal government two days ago.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb represented Pakistan at the funeral, offering condolences to Prince Rahim Aga Khan, the eldest son of the late Imam, on behalf of President Arif Alvi, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and the nation.

Aurangzeb also praised the late Prince Karim’s extensive contributions to global development through the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), which focuses on economic growth, community resilience, and cultural preservation.

The death of Prince Karim marks a profound loss not only for his family and community but also for those living in poverty around the world, for whom he worked tirelessly.

His legacy includes numerous welfare programs across Asia and Africa, and his services to Pakistan were widely recognized with top civilian honors, including the Nishan-i-Imtiaz and Nishan-i-Pakistan.

Following his passing, Prince Rahim al-Hussaini Aga Khan was named the 50th hereditary Imam. Prince Karim’s contributions earned him 44 international awards, including honorary Canadian citizenship and the UN Champion for Global Change Award.