By all standards, Sultan Mohammad Shah, His Royal Highness Prince Aga Khan III, was a versatile personality of great distinction. He was the spiritual leader of the Ismailis, an educationist, an accredited leader of Indo-Pakistan Muslims for a decade or more, a diplomat and a world statesman. His public career encompassed three continents — Asia, Africa and Europe — and spanned some four generations — from the last decade of Queen Victoria to the early years of Queen Elizabeth’s reign.
While he was received at Aligarh by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan in the early 1890s and presented an address of welcome, he had also worked at various stages and at various times with all the top-notch Muslim leaders during the first half of the 20th century.
He was responsible not only for the educational, economic and social uplift of the Ismailis in the two continents, but also for breathing into them a breath of his own world-wide vision, making them a progressive force in countries wherever they happened to be. He founded educational and social welfare institutions for them in various countries; inspiring others to devote themselves for their welfare.
His vision and activities, however, extended far beyond the narrow circle of his own Ismaili community. Indeed, they encompassed the entire Muslim community, not only in the subcontinent but also across the Muslim world at large. All progressive and nation-building movements among the Indian Muslims aimed at their educational, social and political uplift received his unstinted support and generous contribution.
He was closely associated with the Mohammedan Educational Conference over which he presided in 1902, and with the M.A.0. College at Aligarh which he was determined to transform into an “intellectual capital ... a home of elevated ideas and high ideals.” And he took upon himself the daunting task of actualizing Sir Syed’s cherished dream of raising the Aligarh College to university status. Through his untiring efforts was collected a princely sum of Rs3 million. This, along with his sustained efforts at the official level, were chiefly responsible for the founding of the Aligarh University in 1920.
In the political sphere as well, he gave a constructive lead. He headed the Simla Deputation to Lord Minto in 1906, which demanded and secured separate electorates for Muslims, thus providing them 36 years later the launching pad for the Pakistan demand. As the first and permanent President of the All-India Muslim League, he charted its course and guided its destinies during its first crucial and formative years.
During the Balkan War of 1912-14, he launched a massive drive to collect funds for the Turkish Red Crescent, and himself made a handsome contribution to it. Later, after the First World War, he along with Syed Amir Ali campaigned relentlessly at various levels to secure justice for the vanquished Turks and prevent the dismemberment of the Turkish homelands. He pleaded the cause of the Indian Khilafat Movement and of the Turkish Caliph through representation at the official level and through the press and the platform.
He was in part responsible for convincing the Conser-vatives through Lord Beaver-brook, the influential press Lord, of “the disastrous character of the relations of the British Governments with the de facto Turkish Government” which, he felt, would lead to a new war. This realization led the Conservatives to withdraw support to Lloyd George’s coalition, eventuating in its collapse, to the coming to power of the Conservatives under Bonar Law, and to the formulation of a new policy towards Turkey which made an agreement with the Angora Government under Mustafa Kemal possible. Thus, the Aga Khan was in part instrumental in refraining Britain from intervening actively on the Greek side in their invasion of Turkey in 1920.
More crucial was the Aga Khan’s contribution at the Round Table Conference (1930-32) where he led the Muslim delegation, and was able to further the Muslim cause. To quote Majumdar: “In 1906, the Aga Khan presented his demands on behalf of the Muslims and Minto accepted; a quarter of a century later Aga Khan again presented a demand and the Communal Award was the result.”
In subsequent years, he became prominent at the League of Nations to which he was nominated to represent India in 1932. His work at the world body soon brought him recognition as a world statesman of great stature, leading to his unanimous election as President of the League of Nations in 1937 — the only Asian to occupy that high office.
Throughout the rest of his life, he continued to evince great interest in the problems of the Muslim world. A great friend and well-wisher of Pakistan, the Aga Khan visualized a great future for it. “The world of Islam,” he said, “is at an important period of its history. Pakistan, due to the reason that brought it into being, must go on serving the cause of Islam and all the Muslims of the world.”
The Aga Khan believed in world Muslim unity and supported every move towards furthering it. He showed keen interest in the Motamar-i-Islami and other Muslim organizations dedicated to further the cause of Islam and of the Muslim world.
Persons of the calibre and stature of the Aga Khan are born but in centuries, and his personality and achievements were such as to command respect and admiration in every country and in every age.
