By Bruce Pannier Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, the spiritual leader of some 15 million Ismaili Muslims worldwide, died in Portugal on February 4 aged 88. The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) announced the passing of the “49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims and direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad” on their website.

Prince Karim Aga Khan, the spiritual leader of the global Ismaili community, passed away on Tuesday, leaving his tens of millions of followers across the world in mourning, the Diwan of the Ismaili Imamat said in a statement in the wee hours of Wednesday.

Pakistan has declared February 8 as a national day of mourning following the passing of Prince Karim Aga Khan. On PM Shehbaz Sharif’s directives, the national flag will fly at half-mast across the country as a mark of respect.