Dhaka, 4 December 2015 — Prince Amyn departed Bangladesh today, following a three-day visit to the country during which he presented his credentials to the Government of Bangladesh as the Personal Representative of Mawlana Hazar Imam. He also toured the Ismaili Jamatkhana and Centre, Dhaka and met with Jamati and AKDN leaders.
The presentation ceremony took place at a meeting with the Honourable Foreign Minister, His Excellency Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 3 December 2015.
In accepting his credentials, Minister Mahmood Ali welcomed Prince Amyn, and congratulated him on his appointment. The minister expressed his gratitude to Mawlana Hazar Imam for his ongoing support towards the development of Bangladesh.
Prince Amyn thanked the government for its support, adding that the Aga Khan Development Network looks forward to building upon its long and historic presence in Bangladesh. He noted that AKDN has worked for over five decades in a number of sectors integral to Bangladesh’s development, including early childhood development, pre-tertiary education, and financial services. The Network, he said, is also exploring the possibility of expanding its programmatic portfolio into areas such as tourism and the preservation and promotion of culture.
Later that afternoon, in his first official capacity as Personal Representative, Prince Amyn received the His Excellency Mohammed Shahriar Alam, State Minister for Foreign Affairs and High Representative of the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, at the newly-established AKDN Diplomatic Office in Dhaka.
Minister Alam participated in the inaugural reception of the Diplomatic Office, which was attended by a number of ambassadors, development partners and AKDN and Jamati institutional leaders. The minister commented that his government looks forward to further strengthening relations between the government and AKDN. As a symbol of the mutual respect between the government and the Network, Foreign Minister Mahmood Ali hosted a dinner in honour of Prince Amyn.
On Friday, Prince Amyn visited the site of the proposed Aga Khan Academy and adjacent Ismaili Jamatkhana and Centre in Bashundhara, Dhaka, where he was welcomed by the Aga Khan Boy Scouts and Girl Guides of Bangladesh. After touring the Jamatkhana and Centre, Prince Amyn met with the Jamati leadership before members of the Jamat bid him farewell.
Prince Amyn and the AKDN delegation then proceeded to the airport, where they were bid farewell by Ismaili Council President Rai Sulaiman Ajanee and AKDN Resident Representative Alijah Munir Merali, as well as other AKDN and Jamati institutional leaders.
