Aga Khan III

Aga Khan III

Sir Sultan Muhammed Shah, Aga Khan III, PC, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, GCVO (November 2, 1877 – July 11, 1957) was the 48th Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims. He was one of the founders and the first president of the All-India Muslim League. His goal was the advancement of Muslim agendas and protection of Muslim rights in India. The League until the late 1930s was not a mass organization but represented the landed and commercial Muslim interests of the United Provinces (today's Uttar Pradesh). He shared Syed Ahmad Khan's belief that Muslims should first build up their social capital through advanced education before engaging in politics. Aga Khan called on the British Raj to consider Muslims considered a separate nation within India. Even after he resigned as president of the AIML in 1912, he still exerted major influence on its policies and agendas. He was nominated to represent India to the League of Nations in 1932 and served as President of the League of Nations from 1937-38. He was instrumental in the creation of Pakistan.