LAHORE: The Punjab Government has enacted the Aga Khan Properties (Succession and Transfer) Act, 2026, introducing a special legal framework for the automatic succession and transfer of properties belonging to the Aga Khan within the province to the succeeding Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslim community.
The law, which extends across Punjab, came into force immediately upon enactment but has been given retrospective effect from February 4, 2025.
According to the law, all movable and immovable properties situated in Punjab and held, owned, possessed, controlled or beneficially enjoyed by the Aga Khan in his personal, official or institutional capacity will automatically and immediately vest in the succeeding Aga Khan upon the demise of the incumbent Imam. The transfer will take effect without the requirement of probate, succession certificates, letters of administration, court orders, registration of instruments, mutations or any other legal or administrative formalities.
The Act provides that such vesting shall not be questioned or challenged before any court, tribunal or other forum, nor shall it be subject to inquiry, approval or conditions under any other law.
The legislation excludes any property specifically disposed of by the Aga Khan during his lifetime through a will, trust deed, gift, directive or any other legal instrument, or properties that the Aga Khan notifies in writing to the Punjab Board of Revenue as being outside the scope of the Act.
The Board of Revenue has been tasked with circulating the provisions of the Act to the relevant authorities after being satisfied that the successor Aga Khan has been recognised in accordance with the religious and historical traditions of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims.
The Act further exempts such succession from all stamp duties, registration fees, capital value tax, provincial and local taxes, levies, charges and other fiscal impositions. It also provides that the succession shall not be treated as a transfer for taxation or financial liability purposes under any law relating to property, transfer of property or revenue records. No authority will be permitted to charge fees for mutation or updating official records relating to the succession.
The law also contains an overriding clause stipulating that its provisions will prevail over all other laws, legal instruments and judicial or quasi-judicial orders in case of conflict.
A saving clause clarifies that the legislation does not affect the spiritual, religious and institutional authority of the Aga Khan or the successor Imam over the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslim community, any disposition or transfer of property made during the Aga Khan’s lifetime, or private family settlements relating to properties outside the ambit of the Act.
The government has been empowered to frame rules through notification in the official Gazette for implementation of the law and to issue orders for removing any difficulties arising in its enforcement.
According to the Statement of Objects and Reasons appended to the legislation, the Act has been enacted to ensure uninterrupted custodianship and administration of religious, educational, cultural and developmental properties associated with the hereditary leadership of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslim community in Punjab.
The statement notes that His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV rendered significant services in education, healthcare, social development, economic upliftment, cultural preservation and humanitarian assistance, benefiting both the Ismaili community and the people of Punjab and Pakistan.
It states that the law seeks to preserve the character and purpose of such properties for future generations while recognising the unique religious, spiritual and historical significance of the office of the Aga Khan and facilitating seamless succession to the succeeding Imam.
