His Highness the Aga Khan to visit Tajikistan at the end of this week25/10/2011 12:19
Avaz Yuldoshev, Turko Dikayev
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DUSHANBE/KULOB, October 25, 2011 Asia-Plus -- His Highness the Aga Khan, Imam (spiritual leader) of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims, founder and Chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), is expected to arrive in Tajikistan on October 30 for a two-day visit.
A well-informed source in the Government of Tajikistan told Asia-Plus today that His Highness the Aga Khan will hold talks with President Emomali Rahmon and a number of other high-ranking Tajik state officials.
On October 31, His Highness the Aga Khan and President Emomali Rahmon will attend the groundbreaking ceremony for construction of a new Tajik-Afghan bridge over the Panj River in Shouroobod district, Khatlon province.
Khatlon governor Ghaybullo Avzal who visited the site for construction of the bridge recently said in an interview with Asia-Plus that the bridge would play an important role in improvement of confidence between peoples living on both sides of the Panj River and promote increase of efficiency of cooperation between border services of the two countries.
According to him, a free trade zone will be created there that will improve significantly commerce and trade within the region.
The bridge will serve as key conduits for humanitarian assistance, commerce and socio-cultural exchange opportunities.
We will recall that the Vanj Bridge, the fourth in a series of bridges funded by the Aga Khan Development Network, was inaugurated on August 16. The bridge connects Tajikistan’s Vanj District with Mohi-May Vulusvoli in Afghanistan and is expected to enhance cross-border humanitarian assistance delivery, infrastructure development, socio-economic exchange, tourism and trade between the two countries.
The Vanj Bridge spans 216 metres across the Panj River, making it the longest cross-border suspension bridge yet developed, and will support over 3,000 commercial and passenger crossings per year. The US$2.6 million bridge project was funded by the Aga Khan Foundation in Tajikistan and employed 400 local Tajiks and Afghans over the course of nearly four years to completion.
In addition to the bridge itself, the Vanj project yielded several development works such as the construction of roads leading to the bridge on either side of the Panj River, which will provide better access to electricity and water. A cross-border market, customs center and other border facilities, under development with the support of the Government of Germany through a US$428,000 grant from Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), will offer the local population renewed access to competitively priced goods as well as a forum for intercultural exchange. The banks of the river have also been strengthened and protected. These projects are only an example of the development initiatives that will be supported by the opening of the Vanj Bridge.
The Vanj Bridge joins three other bridges at Darvoz, Tem, and Ishkashim as part of the Aga Khan Development Network’s multi-sector cross-border development strategy. Since 2002, the bridges have served as the primary connection between Tajikistan’s Gorno-Badakhshan Oblast and Afghanistan’s Badakhshan Province.
The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), which was founded by His Highness the Aga Khan, is a group of private, non-denominational development agencies working to empower communities and individuals to improve living conditions and opportunities, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, Central and South Asia, and the Middle East. The Network’s nine development agencies focus on social, cultural and economic development for all citizens, regardless of gender, origin or religion. The AKDN’s underlying ethic is compassion for the vulnerable in society. Its annual budget for philanthropic activity is in excess of US$ 600 million.
In recent years, AKDN Tajikistan has extended its programmatic presence to include cross-border initiatives that aim to bring the neighboring Badakhshan-Badakhshan regions of Tajikistan and Afghanistan closer after decades of separation and isolation. The cross-border strategy engages many AKDN agencies and external partners across several sectors and is the product of collaboration between the AKDN and the Governments of Tajikistan and Afghanistan.
His Highness the Aga Khan became Imam (spiritual leader) of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims on July 11, 1957 at the age of 20, succeeding his grandfather, Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan. He is the 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims and a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) through his cousin and son-in-law, Ali, the first Imam, and his wife Fatima, the Prophet’s daughter.
