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Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan died on 12 May at the age of 70 after a lengthy illness borne with great courage during which he continued to devote his efforts to peace, social justice and environmental concerns among numerous others. He was long associated with United Nations work, first as deputy high commissioner for refugees, and later, at age 33, as high commissioner, a post he held for twelve years. During that time he dealt with the problems of millions of refugees from the Pakistan-Bangladesh conflict and from Vietnam, Uganda and Sudan. Sadruddin was the son of Aga Khan III who, in 1932, represented India at the World Disarmament Congress, and in 1937 became president of the League of Nations. Among the many foundations and commissions that Sadruddin directed - on human rights, refugees, third world relief, and others - was one that dealt with nuclear problems, the "Groupe de Bellerive" of which he asked me to be a member. He was a strong supporter of Pugwash, and for many years was a member of the board of the Pugwash Foundation. I thus had an opportunity to become well acquainted with Sadruddin - or Sadri as he was known to friends - through numerous meetings and social functions. He was a man of elegance and charm -a prince- and a person of the highest aspirations and accomplishments, for humanity-at-large and especially for the unfortunate of this world. Dr.
Martin M. Kaplan |