The foregoing pictures are those of a person impersonating as The Aga Khan.  This particular person whose real name is Nasir-ud-din and he is from Hunza, a place in Northern Pakistan.  He started playing with the faith and made a small group and started his own rituals and practices which were totally against the tenants of Islam and totally immoral and unethical.  He was warned of his activities and later was excommunicated from The Shia Ismaili Muslims.

One must realize that there are many people who get swayed by their own belief and their own realization and over a period of time, imagine themselves to be the Gods….. like it happened with Bhagwan Rajneesh who were a great philosopher and a good theologian but then later proclaimed himself as a Bhagwan…. Likewise there was a person who took over Kaba Sheriff and proclaimed himself as Mehdi and was taken down by force…. Likewise this person Nasir-ud-din Hunzai is proclaiming himself to be the Payshawaa and calling himself as the Aga Khan.  Please note here Aga Khan (Persian: آقا خان ) is the hereditary title of the Imam of the largest branch of the Ismā'īlī followers (Arabic: الطائفة الإسماعيلية‎) of the Shī‘afaith. They affirm the Imamat of the descendents of Ismail ibn Jafar, eldest son of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq, while the mainstream Twelver branch of Shi`ism follows Ismail's younger brother Musa al-Kazim and his descendants. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aga_Khan).  Currently the reins of Imamate are with Prince Karim Aga Khan IV who happens to be the 49^th Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aga_Khan_IV).

Now, let’s see the Ismailia contribution towards Pakistan.  Sir Sultan Mohammed Shah, The Aga Khan III was the 48^th Imam and the founders and the first president of the All India Muslim League and served as President of the League of Nations from 1937-38. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aga_Khan_III).  Not only Pakistan, but the Shia Ismaili are known and respected the world over.  Appended hereunder are some of the web-links that will help you understand the belief and faith of the followers of the Aga Khan and known as Ismailis

Web-Links:

1.    ‘Word of God, Art of Man: The Qur’an and its Creative Expressions’
http://www.iis.ac.uk/view_article.asp?ContentID=101325  Please explore the web site and its hope page too.

2.    Interview on CBC Television “One on One” by Peter Mansbridge – http://www.cbc.ca/video/popup.html?http://www.cbc.ca/mrl3/8752/oneonone/20070217.wmv   Double Click on the picture screen and watch it in full screen.

3.    The Aga Khan Development Network - http://www.akdn.org/default.asp

4.    Focus Humanitarian Assistance – an agency helping people in need to reduce their dependence on humanitarian aid and facilitates their transition to sustainable self-reliant, long-term development - http://www.akdn.org/focus

5.    The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) focuses on small number of specific development problems by forming intellectual and financial partnerships with organizations sharing its objectives…http://www.akdn.org/akf

I would like to urge you to please explore these sites and understand Ismailism, besides each person has its own faith and one of the tenants of Islam is not to proclaim other human as “Kahir” as it rests with Allah alone to judge……….

In the end, I raise my hand in pray and urge you to join me “May Allah forgive all those who have gone astray and bestow upon them the tawfiq to follow the right path “Sirat-ul-Mustakeem”… Ameen, Ameen, Suma Ameen.