Aga Khan (ä´gä khän), the title of the religious leader and imam of the Ismaili Nizari sect of Islam, originally bestowed by the Persian shah Fath Ali on Hasan Ali Shah, 1800-1881, the 46th Ismaili imam, in 1818. The first Aga Khan was also appointed as the governor of the province of Kirman, a position he lost as a result of political intrigues following Fath Ali's death. In 1839, he moved to India, where he aided the British during the first Anglo-Afghan war (1839-42) and in the conquest of Sind (1842-43). He was succeeded by his eldest son Ali Shah, Aga Khan II, who died in 1885. In turn, his son, Sultan Muhammad, 1877-1957, assumed the title of Aga Khan III, and played an instrumental role in attempting to secure Muslim support for the British rule of India. A founder of the All-India Muslim League (later the Muslim League), he served as its president in 1909-14. His international visibility increased when he served as the chairman of the British Indian delegation to the imperial conference in London in 1930-31. He also represented India at the Geneva disarmament conference (1932) and in the League of Nations (1932, 1934-37), where he was president of the General Assembly (1937). Later he played a significant role in the movement to establish the Muslim state of Pakistan. He was succeeded by his grandson, Prince Karim, 1937-, who as Aga Khan IV has devoted substantial Ismaili wealth to development projects in countries with a significant Ismaili population. He also has instituted (1977) a noted series of awards for Islamic architecture. His uncle, Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, 1933-2003, was UN High Commissioner for Refugees (1965-77) and was active in other international humanitarian causes.