Page 52 - bne_March 2025_20250304

52 I Eurasia bne March 2025
Condolences over the death of Aga Khan IV were expressed by many world leaders, past and present. King Charles III said he was "deeply saddened" on the passing away of his "personal friend of many years" (Credit: AKDN).
Aga Khan IV has been described in
the media as a “socialite” or “playboy,” and that was part of his life. But the work he did for not only his Ismaili communities, but also for the people living with or near these communities, was so often invaluable.
The schools and universities, hospitals, power plants, rural projects, hotels, parks and local financing institutions Aga Khan IV leaves behind will
benefit the people of these regions for generations to come.
It is therefore not surprising that among those expressing their condolences
on the Aga Khan’s death and praise
for his work were Pakistani President Asif Ai Zardari, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former Afghan president Hamid Karzai, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and King Charles III.
It is a proud legacy, and it now falls to his son, Prince Rahim, to carry on the work as Aga Khan V.
It has helped all of them to improve their living situations and prospects, not only in the Pamir Mountains, but in other parts of Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
Reed, of the Aga Khan Foundation, said Aga Khan IV had three principles for the AKDN’s work, namely “Absolute commitment” to working with all the people in the communities where
it operates, regardless of faith or background; establishing institutions that would endure long after his death, whether the governments of these countries were weak or strong; and community ownership of all
the projects so that everything the AKDN built or helped establish, either belonged to, or was managed by, the communities or local people.
US aid cutoff raises fears of Afghan economic collapse
bnm Tehran bureau
Afghanistan is expected to experience a 7% economic decline due to severe reductions in US foreign aid, a report by the Centre for Global Development (CGD).
The country, identified as one of eight nations most reliant on US assistance, previously received more than one- fifth of its foreign aid from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which accounted for 35% of all international assistance to Afghanistan. However, that money is now stopped due to Donald Trump's decision to shut down the agency and pull all foreign
aid funding across Asia, apart from
www.bne.eu
US aid cutoff raises fears of Afghan economic collapse / bne IntelliNews