Aga Khan Fatimid Imam Caliph

Anwar Ali Merchant Congratulates the Cabinet and Excellency Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani

Press Release
For Immediate Release

Text of the message of congratulations for Excellency Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani:

Islamabad, March 31, 2008
Excellency Yousuf Raza Gilani
Prime Minister
Islamic Republic of Pakistan

Sir,

On the happy occasion of your 24-member cabinet sworn in by His Excellency President Musharraf, I send you my warmest hearty congratulations with prayers for success in all your future endeavors.

I send my hearty felicitations and best wishes individually to each of the honorable ministers sworn in today:
Shah Mehmood Qureshi (Foreign Minister), Sherry Rehman (Information Minister), Syed Naveed Qamar (Minister for Privatisation/Port and Shipping-additional), Raja Pervez Ashraf (Minister for Water and Power), Syed Khursheed Shah (Minister for Labour, Manpower and Overseas Pakistanis), Qamar Zaman Kaira (Minister for Kashmir Affairs), Senator Farooq Naek (Minister for Law, Justice and Human Rights), Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar (Minister for Defence), Nazar Muhammad Gondal (Minister for Narcotics), Najamuddin Khan (Minister for States and Frontier Region) and Mir Humayon Aziz Kurd (Minister for Population Welfare), Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan (Senior Minister), Senator Ishaq Dar (Minister for Finance, Economic Affairs and Commerce), Ahsan Iqbal (Minister for Education), Tehmina Daultana (Minister for Women Development), Sardar Mehtab Abbasi (Minister for Railways), Khawaja Asif (Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources), Rana Tanveer Hussain (Minister for Defense Production), Shahid Khakhan Abbasi (Ministry of Trade), Khawaja Saad Rafiq (Minister for Youth Affairs), Ghulam Ahmed Bilour (Minister for Local Government and Rural Development), Khawaja Mohammed Khan Hoti (Minister for Social Welfare), Rehmatullah Kakar, Hameedullah Jan Afridi, and Rehman Malik.

I also take this opportunity to congratulate President Musharraf for having successfully put Pakistan on the roadmap of democracy and welfare of the people of Pakistan.

Excellency, once again I congratulate you and the honorable ministers from the bottom of my heart with prayers for welfare, happiness, independence and sovereignty of our great nation – Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

Thank you,

Sincerely,

Anwar Merchant
Founder Chairman – President
Muslim Democracy League

Islamabad 44000
Pakistan
+923455086313
Email: nuslimdemocracy@gmail.com

NOTES:

Formed on the auspicious birth anniversary of Holy Prophet Muhammad [peace be upon him and his family] Rabi ul Awwal 12, 1429 ME, Friday March 21 2008, Muslim Democracy League is the political forum and thinktank of Pakistan, contributing knowledge, consultation and insight related to promotion of faith based consensus democracy in Pakistan.

The norms and assumptions that characterise belief and action in Islam have their initial inspiration in two foundation sources. One is the message revealed by God to the Holy Prophet [peace be upon him and his family] and recorded in Quran. The second is Sunnah, the recording of the Prophet’s life, his words, actions and habits, his character, struggle, piety, modesty and success that has come in time to represent for Muslims, a timeless pattern for daily life. And this is true both for the state and the individual. Accordingly, Muslim Democracy League supports to enhance theological and political consensus among different stake holders for the development of good governance in Pakistan.

Muslim Democracy League is the continuation of the original theme and format of Muslim League [1906]. It works to build confidence between West and Muslims, and facilitates collaboration between people, civil society and government to address some of the development needs in Pakistan today.

Muslim Democracy works to historically deliver, both for Pakistan and world community so to speak about civil society and democracy, knowledge and learning, health, housing and economy, technology, industry and commerce, heritage and environment, alleviation of the sufferings of the poor, the sick and the needy, women emancipation and good governance, theological and political consensus, protection and welfare of minorities, support for responsible media, independence of judiciary, indigenous rule of the people, dignity and integrity of the government, Muslim Caliphate, Armed Forces, Law Agencies, and Islamic ethics of discipline, tolerance, knowledge, development, pluralism, interfaith harmony and global peace.

Aga Khan Muslim University: His Highness Aga Khan is establishing a Muslim University with a total cost of US $ 500 million, the president of Aga Khan Council, Iqbal Waljee, said in Karachi on Thursday, 24 January 2008.. He said 1,000 acres of land has been acquired for the purpose on Super Highway in Karachi. The Aga Khan will inaugurate the ground ceremony shortly, he said adding that acadamic activity will start from 2011. Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Imamat Caliphate of Aga Khan is being marked in Pakistan with high profile programmes including lecture series by Karen Armstrong on intellectual traditions in Islam. His Highness Aga Khan considers Pakistan, his second home.

                                                  www.ismaili.us

On the auspicious occasion of Eid ul Azha, Fatimid Heritage Foundation, Geneva Peace Development Centre and Mountain Girls Education Development Program extend hearty Eid Greetings to His Highness Aga Khan Fatimid Imam Caliph, and the Ummah.

www.ismaili.us 

In a rapidly growing knowledge society, lifelong learning and cross-border collaboration is becoming integral to success in today’s meritocratic world. The need to build upon diverse resources and take advantage of the many opportunities the challenges present with globalization is now more relevant than before.The Ismaili Council for the European Union (ICEU) has embraced the challenges and opportunities of the information society and has instituted programmes in order to assist the European Ismailis in engaging with a changing knowledge-based world. Currently, the ICEU has programmes in the key areas of lifelong learning and enterprise development.The ICEU Lifelong Learning programme aims to promote shared and continuous learning, to develop the personal and economic potential of individuals, and to encourage a greater social conscience and active citizenship within the larger European community.  Currently, the ICEU provides a framework for the lifelong learning through an accreditation process with the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).Tasneem Virani, Director of the ICEU Lifelong Learning programme, explains that “lifelong learning is a process that needs to be nurtured and guided, with continuous support and recognition.”  The ICEU Lifelong Learning programme provides this support through on-going workshops and peer mentoring.  In addition, all participants in the programme complete an evaluative assignment prior to receiving their certificate from LSE that allows them to reflect upon how the programme has encouraged them to continue in their journey of learning. ‘ICEU Euroventures’ programme promotes a culture of collaboration within the businesses and professional sections of the European Ismailis, and beyond.  The Euroventures Business stream acts as a catalyst to encourage entrepreneurs to explore joint investment projects and to achieve economic growth through targeted partnerships.  The Euroventures Professionals stream aims at creating an enabling environment for professionals to network, share experience, knowledge, and best practices, and find areas of common interest to achieve professional growth and career development.Arif Devji, Director of the ICEU Euroventures programme, notes “collaboration between members of the Jamat across European national borders is key to the success of Ismaili businesses and professionals in the continent.”  In light of this, the programme has and will continue to introduce several projects, including the proposed Euroventures Online portal and the Euroventures Conference recently held at the Ismaili Centre Lisbon (26-28 October 2007), which facilitate networking among professionals and entrepreneurs.These ICEU programmes are examples of avenues through which the community can take advantage of the opportunities presented by today’s knowledge society.  With the ever-increasing trend towards globalization and meritocracy, learning and collaboration become instrumental to the continued progress of the community worldwide.   Islamic Republic Pakistan, with prayers for success and happiness of fulfilment of duty.

Fatimid Heritage Foundation supports heritage, education and peace activities to enhance knowledge, interfaith harmony and global pluralism. The FATIMID works to promote a more secure, equitable and prosperous world in conformity with the vision of His Highness Aga Khan. It is an expression of love and devotion Ismaili Muslims have for Aga Khan Fatimid Imam Caliph, 49th direct lineal descendant of Prophet Muhammad through his cousin and son-in-law, Aly, the first Imam-Caliph, and his wife Fatima, the Prophet’s daughter. Aga Khan is the rope of love, wisdom and unity among interpretations of the Faith, and also bridge of confidence between West and Muslims. This year, the world is celebrating Golden Jubilee of the Imamat Caliphate of His Highness the Aga Khan. Year 2007 is also the Diamond Jubilee of the creation of Pakistan.Geneva Peace Development Centre (Geneva Peace) and Mountain Girls Education Development Program (MGEDP) are other development initiatives of The FATIMID.

It is appropriate that the word “Regional” is at the center of our deliberations on Central Asia. The countries are diverse in many ways — and the development approaches there must be sensitive to divergent requirements. But these countries also have a common historical experience, including several centuries of shared Islamic heritage. Each of them has faced the need to build new political and economic institutions following the breakup of the Soviet Union. And, as the EU Strategy document emphasizes, each of them can only optimise their development through a regional approach.

In this respect, the Central Asian experience parallels the European experience. In Europe, too, the end of the Cold War demanded new political and economic structures and it is striking how quickly Europe is now reaching out to Central Asia — offering, among other things, the great gift of a powerful regional example. >>>>  Full Speech Photos

Among the most difficult of challenges, of course, is connecting any progress we may achieve at a national level with more remote, rural areas — where poverty often seems most intractable. Mountain peoples, in particular, have endured economic hardship, civil strife, arms and narcotics trafficking, an insecure food supply, earthquakes, water shortages — the list could go on. But overcoming these problems will require a searching re-examination of what poverty really means. I am increasingly inclined to define poverty not only as a matter of income, but rather as a state of marginalisation in all of those conditions which contribute to the quality of human life. A state of poverty is a state of deprivation with respect to health and nutrition, education and security, housing and credit, and all the other conditions which are essen ……… Full Speech

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