Princess Zahra Aga Khan reaffirms support for G-B’s development

GILGIT: Princess Zahra Aga Khan, the daughter of Prince Karim Aga Khan, has reiterated the Aga Khan Development Network’s (AKDN) unwavering support for the development of Gilgit-Baltistan during her recent visit to the region.

Princess Zahra is the eldest child of Shia Ismaili spiritual leader Aga Khan IV. During her five-day visit to G-B and Chitral, Princess Zahra engaged with local communities, development partners, and government officials, reinforcing her commitment to cooperation and development in the region.

She also inspected uplift projects being executed by the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). She also visited ongoing projects being executed by the AKDN in education and health sectors to improve the lives of impoverished communities in the region.

Princess Zahra, who arrived in Gilgit on May 21, met with Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan, Governor Mehdi Shah, other government officials and local community members.

The GB chief minister welcomed her on behalf of the government and the people of Gilgit-Baltistan. According to GB information department, he acknowledged the significant contributions of the Aga Khan in the areas of health, education, infrastructure, and social development in the region.

The CM expressed the regional government’s desire to see AKDN’s health and education programmes expand to all districts, especially the remote and underserved areas.

Gulbar Khan highlighted the existing health infrastructure across the districts but noted the critical shortage of doctors, specialists, paramedical staff, and biomedical equipment. He emphasized the need for AKDN’s continued support to address these deficiencies.

He pointed out the need for expert teachers and their training in the education sector, requesting the Aga Khan Education Service to play a pivotal role in enhancing educational standards and accessibility across the region.

During the meeting, the G-B chief minister conveyed his best wishes to Prince Karim Aga Khan and extended an invitation to him to visit Gilgit-Baltistan.

Princess Zahra Aga Khan assured that she would review the ongoing health and education projects and promised further collaboration with the provincial government to advance these sectors.

She highlighted plans to improve health facilities through the training of nurses and the Aga Khan Hospital, as well as to take steps to modernise health and education according to contemporary needs.

 HBL Chairman and Director of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development Sultan Ali Allana and other officials were also present during the meeting.

During her visit to Hunza, Princess Zahra attended the inauguration of the purpose-built Aga Khan Health Centre in Aliabad, a new facility that aims to boost the quality of healthcare in the region.

According to a statement, equipped with the latest medical technologies and staffed by highly trained healthcare professionals, the new centre is a major step forward in the infrastructure of Aliabad and the surrounding area, bringing timely and effective medical services closer to the community.

The new centre is equipped with digital health services, an accident and emergency department, a high-dependency unit, and comprehensive obstetric and neonatal services. The new building also houses residence facilities for doctors and nurses.

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Earlier in the day, she also visited the Aga Khan School in Aliabad, established in 2018, and the Professional Development Centre, North, which was inaugurated by Agha Khan in 2000 and is the first of its kind development hub for teachers, teacher-educators, education administrators and managers in the region.

During her visit to Ghizer, Princess Zahra attended the inauguration of the Aga Khan Hostel in Sherqilla, a new facility designed to cater for and support female students of the adjacent Aga Khan Higher Secondary School, Sherqilla.

The hostel will provide boarding for more than 100 students from valleys around Gilgit-Baltistan, such as Yasin, Ishkomen, Gupis, and Puniyal, and will enable them to attend the nearby Aga Khan Higher Secondary School, Sherqilla from Grades 8 to 12.

The school started as the Diamond Jubilee Middle School, Sherqilla in 1968. The new purpose-built campus was inaugurated by Agha Khan in 1983 during his Silver Jubilee. In 2012, the school became the Aga Khan Higher Secondary School, Sherqilla.

On Saturday, Princess Zahra’s five-day visit to Gilgit-Baltistan concluded with a farewell ceremony at the Gilgit airport. From the airport, she left for Chitral. The farewell was attended by Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly Speaker Nazir Ahmed Advocate, Secretary Services Rashid Ali, Secretary Social Welfare and Youth Affairs Fida Hussain, Commissioner of Gilgit Division, and other senior officials.

The Speaker and other senior officials expressed their gratitude to Princess Zahra for her keen interest in the region’s development and her dedication to empowering the community.

In Chitral, Member Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Fatihul Mulk and officials of district administration welcomed her arrival at the Chitral airport. She visited the diagnostic centre of Aga Khan Health Service, the office of Aga Khan Agency for Habitat, Aga Khan Higher Secondary School and other projects.