Hyderabad : His Highness Prince Rahim Aga Khan V, the 50th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims and Chair of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), undertook his first official visit to India from 9 to 15 September, reaffirming the depth of the 120-year relationship between the Ismaili Imamat and India and its relevance to the country’s development ambitions towards Viksit Bharat 2047.
During the visit, His Highness met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Droupadi Murmu, Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar, as well as Governors and Chief Ministers in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Telangana. The engagements focused on strengthening collaboration in areas where AKDN has built longstanding expertise, including healthcare, agriculture and rural development, education, women and youth empowerment, climate resilience, water management, heritage conservation and economic opportunity.
In New Delhi, discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi covered opportunities to further strengthen the partnership between India and AKDN across healthcare, agriculture, rural development, youth empowerment and women’s empowerment. The discussions also explored opportunities for public-private partnerships to support climate resilience, natural farming, reforestation, sustainable development and other national priorities. The President of India also recognised AKDN’s work in water and sanitation, education, maternal health, urban redevelopment, women’s empowerment and employment generation as examples of public-private partnerships that could improve quality of life.
In Gujarat, His Highness met Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and discussed holistic and sustainable development, with a focus on strengthening collaboration at the grassroots level. The discussions also covered potential cooperation in solar energy, rural development and the strengthening of cooperative institutions. Gujarat’s initiatives in women’s empowerment and entrepreneurship were also highlighted as areas of mutual interest.
In Maharashtra, His Highness met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, with discussions spanning healthcare, education, tribal development, skill development, water conservation, climate action and heritage conservation. The state expressed readiness to expand public-private partnerships with AKDN and to explore an institutional mechanism for reviewing and scaling development projects. Healthcare proposals discussed included a children’s hospital, specialised geriatric healthcare, skill-based medical training and research facilities. The meeting also covered AKDN’s work in rural water conservation and environmental protection, as well as initiatives focused on reducing urban heat and increasing green cover.
During his meeting with Maharashtra Governor Jishnu Dev Varma, His Highness discussed AKDN’s climate action work in Pune, Mira-Bhayandar and Chandrapur, including innovative cooling solutions and efforts to reduce emissions. The Network also highlighted its work to revive ponds and water bodies in Vasai and its interest in working with universities on climate action, environmental protection and micro-forest initiatives.
In Telangana, discussions with Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy covered education, healthcare, tourism, urban development and heritage conservation. The Chief Minister sought AKDN’s cooperation in restoring Hyderabad’s historic City College and the existing Osmania General Hospital building, with the latter proposed for conservation as a heritage asset after the construction of a new hospital. The discussions also covered the Musi River rejuvenation plans and the potential for greater collaboration in heritage conservation and tourism.
The visit also reaffirmed pluralism, human dignity and community participation as important principles underpinning AKDN’s development approach. Its work in India has extended beyond the Ismaili community and across diverse geographies, with programmes designed to improve quality of life irrespective of faith, origin or gender. This approach has centred on creating opportunities for individuals and communities to build capabilities and shape their own futures.
The relationship between the Ismaili Imamat and India has evolved over more than a century. Institutions of the Ismaili Imamat have been present in India since the 19th century, while AKDN’s institutional development work dates to 1905, when the first Aga Khan school was established in Mundra, Gujarat. Over the decades, this engagement has expanded across education, health, rural livelihoods, economic inclusion, habitat, culture, heritage and climate resilience. Today, AKDN programmes reach more than nine million people in India annually.
The experience accumulated over these 120 years has increasingly intersected with the priorities of a changing India. From strengthening human capability and rural prosperity to improving healthcare, building climate-resilient communities, conserving cultural assets and creating economic opportunity, AKDN’s work reflects a development approach centred on institutions, partnerships and long-term impact.
The discussions also reflected the international dimension of the Ismaili Imamat’s development experience. Given the geographic span of India’s own development interests and international partnerships, the engagements enabled a mutual identification of regions in Asia and Africa where institutions of the Ismaili Imamat could explore opportunities for collaboration.
His Highness also met members of the Ismaili community in India during the visit, providing an opportunity to connect with community members and reflect on the longstanding relationship between the Ismaili Imamat and the community in India. The engagements highlighted shared values of service, education and community development that have shaped this relationship over generations.
The visit marked an important point in the evolution of a relationship that has endured for more than a century, while identifying opportunities to apply AKDN’s institutional experience and development expertise to India’s emerging priorities. The engagements across national and state leadership highlighted the potential for sustained collaboration between public institutions, development organisations, universities and communities to improve quality of life and contribute to India’s development journey.
